


Ouroborum

by Rouser



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Binge Drinking, Drinking, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Football | Soccer, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Jet (Avatar) Is An Asshole, Partying, Slow Burn, Therapy, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:53:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25327237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rouser/pseuds/Rouser
Summary: No matter the universe, love finds a way, and Aang and Katara find each other.A simple ATLA college AU where the Gaang get to be college kids, and the ups and downs that come with it. Will be Kataang-centric, with other characters and background ships appearing at times. Modern day, no bending.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Haru/Katara (past), Jet/Katara (past), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sokka/Suki (past), Sokka/Yue (past)
Comments: 60
Kudos: 180





	1. Chapter 1: First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Aang and Katara meet for the first time.
> 
> Warnings: mentions death of a parent (Kya)

Katara held the old leather steering wheel loosely as she drove up to the edge of the curb. There were the familiar sounds of squeaking and grinding as she braked to a stop. She leaned back in the seat and sighed, glancing over at the campus athletics facility. Tall tinted windows and bright white concrete comprised the rather artistic-looking building, with the school’s white lotus emblem carved into the pavilion outside. The logo was also painted on the building walls, along with the mascot name “Warriors”. She had been inside the building once or twice with Sokka, but the facilities were limited to use by varsity athletes and athletic teams only. 

Unfortunately, it was also on the opposite side of campus from their freshman dorm, so Sokka had asked Katara to come pick him up after practice. She had the time; school wasn’t set to start for another few days. Sokka had moved in almost two weeks prior to the start of classes to participate in the soccer team’s preseason, in which he was trying out for the few remaining roster spots not occupied by the incoming recruited first-years. Katara had moved in early along with him; they had loaded his old truck up with their things, said goodbye to Gran-Gran, and driven down to Republic City.

A familiar silhouette outside the building spotted the rusty, beat-up blue truck and started walking towards it. As he walked closer, Katara could tell Sokka was in a bad mood.

“So, how was practice?” she asked out of the open window.

“Fine,” Sokka grumbled. He was soaking wet, like he had showered and not even bothered to dry off.

“What is it, Sokka?”

“Nothing, you wouldn’t understand,” Sokka dismissed. He took a hand and smoothed back the wet hair on the top of his head. The sides were shaved short but the top was long enough to flop into his eyes without product to keep it in place.

“Oh, sure …” Katara rolled her eyes. “Like I’ve never played a sport before.”

Sokka ignored her and pulled open the driver’s side door. Katara looked at him quizzically.

“I’m driving,” he stated.

“I’m already in the driver’s seat,” Katara protested. “Why can’t I drive back?”

“Please, everyone knows guys are better drivers,” Sokka said.

“Are you kidding me!?” Katara looked at him with flames in her eyes.

“Katara! Why do you have to be so difficult? It’s my truck. Just get out of --”

“Fine!” Katara snapped her seatbelt off and barreled out of the driver’s seat. Her shoulder knocked against Sokka’s as she brushed past him. She heard Sokka groan half a complaint, but it was drowned out by the sound of her slamming the driver’s side door shut behind her.

“Let’s go,” Sokka said, reopening the door and climbing in.

“I’m not riding home with you,” said Katara, now standing on the sidewalk. She crossed her arms and looked at him defiantly. “I’d rather walk.”

“Katara, are you kidding me? Leave it to a girl to make things this hard ...”

“No! I do something nice for you and all you do is sulk and make sexist comments --”

“ -- I’ve had a long day and I just want to get home and go to sleep! It’s not like you were doing anything --”

“ -- you know, I actually do have better things to do than sit around and do your laundry, run your errands --”

“ -- you always think you know everything, Miss-Know-It-All --”

“ -- fine! I’ll see you later, Sokka,” Katara yelled. She turned on her heel and began to walk away from the truck.

Sokka groaned angrily and sped off. Katara quickly oriented herself and started stomping back to her dorm, muttering under her breath. After walking for about fifteen minutes and still having a ways to go, she started to regret her decision a little. 

As she rounded a particularly long hill, her calves burning, she noticed something odd ahead. Her thoughts of anger and frustration were quickly replaced by surprise and concern -- a scene of disaster lay ahead. There was a silhouette of a man, hunched in the grass over what looked like a gigantic mass of white fluff. A few feet off to the side, a bicycle was thrown to the ground.

“Hnngh …” she heard him groan.

Katara gasped softly and ran over. Did he fall off the bike? Did he hit something with the bike? It was still unclear what was going on -- and nothing but his back was visible to her.

“Are you okay?” she asked frantically. As she got closer, she could see he was hunched over a very large sheepdog, with his arms wrapped halfway around it. The dog’s eyes were closed and it had a brown triangular stripe down its face. She looked over at the bicycle for any clues; it was dirty and the paint was chipping but nothing seemed to be broken.

“Huh?” the man turned around in confusion. “Oh, hi!” He smiled at her. He had a nice, large smile and kind grey eyes. There was a yellow cap atop his head, worn backwards, so the blue arrow that ran over the apex pointed down to his face. What really caught Katara’s attention were the matching long blue lines tattooed down his forearms. They were a brilliant, vibrant sky blue color.

“Are you okay?” she asked again.

“Oh, yeah,” he replied. He untangled his arms from the dog and stood up. Standing at his full height, Katara was a few inches shorter than him. She smiled back at him.

“I’m Aang.” He had a nice voice; smooth and soothing. Now that his arms were no longer buried beneath the dog, she could see his tattoo lines shifted into an arrowhead -- same as his hat -- at the apex of his wrists. Katara offered out her hand and Aang shook it.

“I’m Katara. Nice to meet you.” 

“This is Appa,” Aang said, gesturing grandly at the large white dog lying on the ground. At the sound of his name, Appa opened his eyes and began to pant enthusiastically.

“Is he okay?” Katara inspected the dog lying on the ground.

“Oh yeah,” Aang chuckled, sitting back down next to Appa, “He’s just tired. I took him on a long walk before practice and now he doesn’t want to walk back.” Aang ran his hand over the dog’s shoulder, shifting his fingers through the fur.

“Practice? Do you play a sport here?” Katara asked.

“Yep!” Aang grinned, “I’m on the soccer team.”

“No way!” Katara’s face lit up. “You must know my brother, Sokka.”

“Oh yeah, I know him! He’s funny, and kind of a grouch.”

“Yup, that’s him,” Katara agreed. It was strange but nice to have a face to put to the name Aang. Sokka had spoken about him before briefly: once to complain that he was unfocused and juvenile, and the other time a jealous comment on his remarkable athletic ability.

“So are you two twins?” Aang asked. “And feel free to sit with me. Appa’s too heavy to carry so I’ll have to wait until he wants to walk again.”

Katara shook her head and sat down in the grass next to him. It’s not like she had anywhere else to be, and she certainly was in no rush to run into Sokka back at the dorm. She crossed her legs out in front of her and tucked her hands between her thighs. Aang lay on his side, one knee propped up into the air, with his torso turned to face her.

“No. I’m nineteen and Sokka is a year older. We ended up starting school at the same time though.”

“Oh cool,” Aang said. “I’m a first-year too! I’ll turn eighteen in a few days, actually.”

“Oh wow, you’re still young.”

“I skipped a grade when I was twelve,” Aang explained.

“Nice,” Katara said, “So where are you from?”

“All over really,” Aang answered, “My foster dad Gyatso and I moved around a lot growing up. We lived in a lot of places, in and out of the country.”

“That’s so cool!” Katara smiled excitedly. “This is the first time I’ve ever traveled far from my hometown. I’ve always wanted to travel, see the world.”

Aang nodded. “It’s wonderful! I have friends all over the world.”

“Where was your favorite place to live?”

Aang paused in thought. “It’s hard to pick just one place. I love the mountains though, the views are amazing from that high.”

“That sounds really nice,” Katara said. “Sokka and I’s hometown is very flat and very cold. It snows most of the year. It might as well be the South Pole.”

Aang chuckled. “That’s one place I’ve never been. I do love sledding though.”

“Yeah, it’s a lot of fun,” Katara agreed. She glanced over at Appa again, who had now shifted to lay on his back, belly exposed to the cool evening air. “So how did you get permission to have a dog living on campus?”

“Oh, Appa can’t stay in the dorms,” Aang explained, “I wish he could though. I can’t wait until I can move off-campus and get a house with a yard for him.”

Katara thought it was a little odd that he even had the dog here, but she didn’t dare ask such an invasive question.

“So where does he sleep then?” Katara asked.

“Professor Roku is friends with Gyatso, my foster dad, and he offered to let me keep Appa at his house. He lives in one of the faculty houses on campus and it has a huge yard, so it’s great for Appa. I go over and walk him every morning and every night, and visit whenever I’m free.”

“That’s a really nice deal,” Katara said, her curiosity satisfied. Despite not growing up with pets, she always appreciated having animals around. Plus Appa seemed lovely, and it was clear that Aang had a deep and loyal love for him.

“Come on, buddy,” Aang said, nudging Appa’s belly with his hand, “Wake up.”

Appa let out a deep groan but rose onto his paws all the same. Aang hopped up to his feet with a vigor that made Katara do a double-take.

“You have a lot of energy for someone just finishing preseason,” Katara observed, rising to her feet as well. He and Sokka would be on the same intense training regimen trying to prepare for the upcoming soccer season, but whereas Sokka had been basically dragging his body around like a zombie for the past two weeks, Aang seemed absolutely unfazed.

“Oh, my body has never been more sore,” Aang assured her, “But I find it hurts less to keep moving.”

“Makes sense,” Katara agreed. She had her fair share of aches and soreness after intense workouts, and routine stretching afterwards had always alleviated it somewhat.

“Well, Appa and I are headed that way,” Aang pointed ahead, down the path Katara would follow to her dorm. “Which way are you going?”

“The same way actually,” Katara said.

“Oh, great!” Aang suddenly offered her the loop of Appa’s leash. “Would you mind holding Appa while I grab my bike?”

“Sure,” Katara took the rope in her hand, bending down to pet Appa’s shoulder with the other. Once Aang righted his bicycle, they began to walk; Katara and Aang side-by-side, Appa in the middle and ahead of them both, with Aang pushing his bike along the outside of his body.

“So what else do you like to do for fun?” Aang asked.

Katara stared ahead at the horizon. The sun was beginning to set, shedding a peaceful orange light over the sky. “I used to really like swimming,” she admitted.

“Like competitively?” Aang seemed very excited by the concept. “That’s so cool! What did you swim?”

“I don’t really swim anymore,” Katara said softly. “My mom passed away a few years ago. I haven’t swum since.”

“I’m sorry, Katara.” The look in Aang’s eyes was surprisingly refreshing — it wasn’t pity, it wasn’t discomfort — it was simple empathy and understanding.

Aang stood taller as if hit by a sudden realization. “Well, if you ever want to get back into swimming, I know a great place.”

“Where?” Katara’s interest peaked. “Isn’t the campus pool closed for renovations?”

“It’s not the campus pool,” Aang grinned slyly. “There’s a separate pool for athletes. Only the swim team uses it. And I guess the athletic trainers use it for water therapy, but that’s pretty rare.”

“But I’m not an athlete,” Katara pointed out, “Wouldn’t that be a problem getting in?”

“Well …” Aang drawled, “We wouldn’t exactly go turning regular hours.”

“How would we get in then?”

Aang smiled genuinely. “I know Bumi, the athletic director. I clean the pool for him at night twice a week.”

“I don’t know, Aang,” Katara’s voice wavered. “If we get caught, we could get in a lot of trouble. I wouldn’t want to risk your job.”

“It’s okay, there’s no pressure,” he soothed, “I doubt Bumi would care, he’s super laid back. So if you ever change your mind, text me. Sokka has my number.”

“Thanks,” Katara gave him a soft smile. “It might be easier if you just give it to me directly, though.” She wholly planned on avoiding talking to Sokka until he removed his head from his ass.

“Sure!” Aang looked ecstatic. Katara gave him her phone and he quickly typed in a series of numbers. “Here you go.”

“Thanks. Well, this is my stop.” She pointed at the four-story cinder block building that lay in front of them, perpendicular off the main sidewalk.

“No way! I actually live in Temple Hall too. First floor,” Aang said.

“Third floor,” Katara smiled. She handed over Appa’s leash and Aang wrapped it around his forearm, the line of the rope spiraling around the line of his tattoo.

“Well hopefully that means I’ll run into you again,” Aang said.

“Yeah.” Katara felt her cheeks flush, so she quickly bent over to scratch Appa’s head. “Bye, Appa. Bye, Aang!”

“Bye, Katara,” Aang smiled at her as she walked away, up the sidewalk to the dorm door. “Come on Appa, yip-yip,” he cooed.

As she reached the dorm door, he must’ve thought she was out of earshot, but she could faintly hear him speak. 

“ _Appa, that’s some girl …_ ”

She heard Appa rumble a response right before the door latched behind her. She glanced back over her shoulder out the window, but Aang and Appa had already turned and continued on their path. Feeling an indescribable mix of emotions at the conclusion of a long day, Katara turned to head upstairs to her room, only to spot Sokka sitting adjacent on one of the lobby couches, looking at her.

“What are you doing down here?” Katara asked, surprised to see him.

“I waited to make sure you got back safe,” Sokka explained, “I’m your big brother, and it’s my duty to make sure you get back okay.”

“Thanks, Sokka,” Katara smiled, heading for the staircase towards her room. She was still frustrated with him, but his actions were sweet and her mind was more interested in wandering back to Aang.

“Why are you smiling?” Sokka asked, following after her. “Aren’t you still mad?”

“Yes and no,” she replied, “I made a friend.”

“Oh,” Sokka accepted the easy-out without another word. “So, who’s this friend?” he teased.

“His name is Aang,” Katara replied curtly. Sokka was still on thin ice and she was in no mood to humor his teasing.

“Aang!?” Sokka repeated, “Like my teammate, Aang?”

“Yes, your teammate Aang,” Katara rolled her eyes.

“But Katara, he’s —“

“Goodnight Sokka,” Katara said, practically shutting her dorm door in his face. She was in no mood to put up with anymore of his rants tonight. He squeaked indignantly on the other side of the door but his footsteps then padded away.

That night, Katara lay in her bed, unable to shake the memory of her and Aang’s conversation. It really would be so nice to go swimming again. And it was hard to beat an offer of a private, empty pool. Especially at night, her favorite time to swim. And it’s not like she was an athlete anymore, they couldn’t really punish her for using the pool. A scolding and a slap on the wrist maybe. But she could easily play the confused first-year card, right? 

Katara stared up at the ceiling, searching for an answer to be written for her. She yearned to feel the water back on her skin again, enveloping her. It had been so long. It was time. In a moment of bravery, she pulled her phone out and texted Aang’s number.

_ I’m in. _

* * *

“Okay, so if anyone asks, we’re cleaning the pool for Bumi,” Aang stated. He was already back to treading water in the pool, looking up at Katara. “But I came earlier and finished it already.”

The pool Aang occupied was large -- regulation size -- and took up the majority of the building. The water was bright blue, illuminated solely by the pool lights. Industrial tubes and metal bars covered the ceiling; the underwater lights reflected off the pool’s surface to create an undulating light show above their heads. The rest of the building, bleachers and hallways, were covered by shadow. If there was no pool it would feel like a forlorn, luxury warehouse, but the radiant lights over the water transformed the concrete box into an oasis.

“This is a really nice pool,” Katara noted. She stood hesitantly over one of the pool ladders. She wasn’t even in a swimsuit -- having long outgrown all her old ones -- and the sports bra and shorts she wore now felt foreign and alien to wear into the water.

“The water’s not too cold. Just jump!” Aang started to backstroke away, giving Katara a large area to jump in.

Katara stared into the pool for a moment, the enchanting blue both calming and overwhelmingly nostalgic. The rhythmic slapping of the water against the pool edge filled her ears. Katara took a deep inhale and shoved the dull ache in her heart to the side. She was here now, and there was something drawing her to the water, to this guy.

Her feet bounded against the concrete as she ran towards the water, jumping as the rough concrete shifted to smooth tile. There was an aquamarine blur followed by darkness, icy water encasing her entire body in an instant. The pressure surrounded her like a heavy blanket. She quickly exhaled, bubbles all around her, and allowed her body to rise to the surface.

“Nice jump,” Aang grinned. He had swum closer while she was underwater, so they were now a little over an arm’s reach away.

“I forgot how cold they keep the water!” Katara exclaimed. She brought her hands up to slick back the strands of hair in her face which escaped her braid.

“Yeah, it’s pretty chilly,” Aang said, “Too cold?”

“No, I love it,” Katara grinned. Adrenaline surged through her veins, her muscles aching for motion. Treading water was no longer enough -- it was time to move. She took off, alternating forms -- breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly -- anything and everything to feel the soothing caress of the water against her body. When she finally slowed down and circled back, Aang was smiling softly at her.

“Why are you smiling at me like that?” she asked.

“Oh, I was smiling?” Aang quickly shifted his face to a more neutral expression. “Race you!” he challenged, pointing to the far side of the pool. 

Poor guy. He didn’t even stand a chance. They both took off in a flurry of limbs and splashes, Katara gunning for that far pool wall, waiting to feel the edge under her fingertips. To her surprise, Aang actually kept pace with her, but she was still able to clench her victory.

“Wow, you’re fast!” Aang looked at her excitedly, a huge smile plastered across his face.

“Thanks.” Katara felt a heat rise to her cheeks. Her heart pounded with adrenaline and joy. Her limbs felt so powerful and she felt so alive.

“Please tell me you’re going to join the swim team,” Aang said. He propelled himself forward to hang off the plastic line float that separated their pool lanes. (Aang would later admit to her that his body was thoroughly depleted from preseason, and he had used up all remaining energy in an attempt to not embarrass himself during their race -- hence his sudden need to hang off the line float.)

Katara’s smile dropped. “Oh, no, I couldn’t …”

“Why not?” Aang’s demeanor had suddenly grown serious and concerned.

“Well, I’m pre-med, and ... with my class load and all, it would be too much …”

“That’s the only reason?” Aang asked. “You seem really happy when you swim. I’m sure you could make it work, if that’s what you want to do.”

Katara was silent for a second. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had asked or even referred to doing what  _ she _ wanted.

“Katara?” Aang’s voice broke her haze.

“Oh, sorry,” she said.

“Are you okay?” Aang asked. “It seems like you have something on your mind.”

“Yeah …” Katara trailed off. She swam over to share the line float with Aang, a few feet downwards so the line still stayed buoyant. “I don’t really know what I want … I mean, I do, it’s just …”

Aang was endlessly patient, not making a single sound, as she tried to place words to feelings she hadn’t considered in awhile.

“I used to swim a lot. With my mom,” Katara said. “And now that she’s gone, it feels like …”

“It feels like a different lifetime,” Aang finished. 

That was it exactly. Katara nodded, no words to describe her level of agreement with his description.

“For the longest time, I thought that if I didn’t swim, if I didn’t do the things that we did when she was alive, it would preserve her memory,” Katara said, “It would always be _our_ thing. If I did it without her -- if I did it alone -- then it would mean she was really gone.”

Aang listened intently, giving her a minute to say anything else before replying. “So what changed your mind?”

“I don’t know, honestly,” Katara confessed. “It just felt like I couldn’t let the chance pass by.”

“Well, I’m glad you decided to come,” Aang said. “We should probably get going though.”

“Yeah, we don’t want to get caught,” Katara agreed. They both shifted over to the edge of the pool. Aang slapped his hands on the concrete edge and quickly hoisted himself off. Katara let out a soft gasp. Like the arrow tattoos that ran down his arms -- that brilliant blue -- another arrow ran up his spine also. The lines rippled over his muscles as his body moved, glistening with residual water. He was clearly in excellent shape, and the tattoos only captivated Katara’s attention further.

“You coming?” Aang asked, looking back at her over his shoulder. 

“Yup!” Katara answered a little too quickly. She hopped over the pool edge and began squeezing the water out of her braid.

“Here, catch,” Aang tossed a towel to her.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

They both toweled off quickly, heads on a swivel, searching for anyone that may have caught sight of their semi-trespassing.

“So, are you planning on coming to any soccer games this season?” Aang asked, as they both tossed their shirts back on. He shook his head like a dog and slid his arrow cap back on. The two then made their way to the door, pausing so Aang could retrieve his bike from the rack outside. They started walking away together, Aang once again wheeling his bike along so that they could stay at the same pace.

“Of course,” Katara answered, “Can you imagine how butt-hurt Sokka would be if I didn’t come support him?” They both chuckled.

“Well, it’ll be nice to know there’s a friendly face in the stands,” Aang said.

“I’m excited to watch you play,” Katara said, “Especially now that you’ve seen me swim.”

“Oh, I don’t know if I’m as good ...” Aang replied, cheeks a bit pinker than they were a second ago.

“From what Sokka says, you sound like a pretty incredible player,” Katara stated.

“Huh,” Aang said, “I kinda got the feeling he found me annoying.”

“He does,” Katara admitted, “But he’s a softie at heart. I think he’s just jealous and nervous. Being a walk-on, I think it puts a lot of extra pressure on him. And he’s always put a lot of pressure on himself, even when we were little.”

“I think he’s going to make the team,” Aang said.

“I hope so,” Katara echoed. “He’s trained really hard for it. Even if he doesn’t have the raw talent of the recruited first-years, I hope his grit counts for something.”

“Everyone has to be treated like they’re worth giving a chance,” Aang said, “I think Coach Piandao sees a lot of good in Sokka.”

Katara looked at him in awe for a moment. “You’re pretty wise for a seventeen-year-old.”

“Only for a few more days,” Aang protested. “My birthday is the day of our first game.”

“Well, I will be certain to be there,” Katara promised. They continued to stroll back through campus, walking along the same path they had met on only a few days prior.

“Katara?”

“Yeah, Aang?”

“I’m sorry about your mother. She sounds like a wonderful person. I don’t presume to have known her, but I think she would be glad you’re rediscovering your passions again.”

Aang’s words hit right in her heart, but it -- surprisingly -- wasn’t painful. No, Katara’s heart felt warm and more whole than it had felt in a while. He … was right. Katara‘s mind flashed to a photo of her mother that hung over their family’s mantle, a soft smile on her face as she posed with her two young children. She had seen that smile many times. She had started to forget it slightly as time had passed, but right now the memories flashed more vibrant than they had in a long time.

“Thank you, Aang … for everything,” Katara said.

“Of course,” Aang bowed his head. “When you’re ready to do it again, let me know.”

She knew for a fact they would do this again. There was something special to it, something special here with the two of them. Katara had never met someone who so instantly believed in her. He had immediately supported her and her interests, and it felt so relieving to come into her own again. 

Katara glanced over at him and smiled. “I will.” 


	2. Chapter 2: Momo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara watches Aang's first game of the season, and at a party that night they make a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: underage drinking, college party

Katara fidgeted on the stiff, hot metal bleachers as she looked out over the stadium at the soccer field. The men’s soccer team was hosting their first game of the season at home. Their white uniforms were distinct against the vibrant green turf, each player identified by a number on their back. Both teams were stationed on the far side of the field opposite the fans, each on their distinct half. She could easily locate Sokka’s figure standing on the sidelines, where he remained for the entirety of the game. Aang was a different story. 

She had been worried about not being able to recognize her friend, so she had looked up his number on the roster ahead of time. It was for naught though, as he was the easiest to recognize on the field -- not even because his shortly-shaved head was distinct, but because Aang was really, really talented. He seemed to be all over the field, speeding from one end to another effortlessly. He wove in-and-out of players like a dancer, his feet too rapid to follow, and no one seemed to be able to impede his approach. With only ten minutes left in the game, Aang had already notched a goal for himself, and two assists. And boy did the crowd love him, too.

“Has Sokka gotten in yet?” a voice interrupted Katara’s thoughts. It was Suki, her roommate. 

Suki was on the women’s soccer team, who had also played their first game earlier in the day. Katara had been grateful to see Suki and her squad of teammates roll up to the stadium, glad to have someone to sit and chat with. Katara and Suki had gotten along well so far, and Suki’s fellow teammates seemed nice enough. Katara had heard the group of girls referred to colloquially as “Kyoshi’s warriors”, named after their larger-than-life coach, the multi-olympic medaling soccer star, Kyoshi.

“No, he hasn’t,” Katara replied.

Suki frowned and sighed sympathetically. “There‘s still a few minutes left, hopefully.”

“Hopefully,” Katara said, “I’m honestly just relieved he made the team.”

“During preseason, we would have practice right after the men’s team, and some of us would go out early to warm up. Don’t ever tell him I said this, but he was working really hard for it. He deserved to make it,” Suki admitted.

“Don’t worry,” said Katara, “I’ll never tell him.” Suki and Sokka weren’t on the best of terms, ever since Sokka had made some dipshit comment about women’s soccer being lesser to men’s. Something about them being weaker, less skilled, and less fun to watch. Before Katara even had a chance to scold him, Suki had promptly challenged him to a series of penalty strokes. The competition had humbled Sokka very quickly, as he was unable to score even a single goal against Suki.

“So which one is the guy you've been sneaking out at night and seeing?” Suki asked.

Katara felt her face flush, “Oh, no, we’re not -- we’re just friends.”

“Which one is your friend then?” Suki corrected, but shot Katara a lighthearted, skeptical look. “You know, the one you’ve spent every single day with?”

The blush did not fade from Katara’s cheeks, so she pretended like it wasn’t there. “His name is Aang, he’s number four.”

Suki’s eyes quickly scanned the field until she found him. “Oh, no way! I knew they had some star first-year on the team, but I didn’t realize that was him.”

“Yeah, he’s really good,” Katara agreed.

“No, Katara,” said Suki, “He’s genuinely amazing. Our assistant coaches were saying he could totally end up going pro.”

“Oh, wow,” Katara’s eyebrows shot up. She recognized Aang was talented, but going pro? That was next-level, especially for someone who was only eighteen, to the day.

“Are you guys talking about number four?” one of Suki’s teammates injected.

“Oh, he’s so cute in his roster picture,” another girl piped in, shoving her phone into people’s faces so they could see Aang’s roster profile. “Look at that smile!”

“He’s bald!” another voice said.

“Nuh-uh, his hair is just cut really short,” the girl with the phone stated, “I saw him in the dining hall this morning.”

“I wonder if he’s single,” yet another girl said from behind Katara.

“And did you see his tattoos?” the first girl said. “They’re so hot …”

Katara suddenly got a bitter taste in her mouth. Aang was her friend, these girls didn’t need to talk about him like a piece of meat. She opened her mouth to say something, but the blaring buzzer from the clock hitting zero cut her off. The men had officially won their first game of the season. Katara felt a wave of excitement wash over her. She knew both Aang and Sokka would be pleased.

“Well that’s two wins for today,” one of the girls said. As if one collective body, they all stood up at the same time and began filing out of the stands. Suki turned to face Katara.

“I think some of us are going to go grab dinner,” Suki said, “You interested?”

“The guys are tailgating afterwards with their families,” Katara declined, “Do you want to come?”

“Hmm, how can I say no to free food,” Suki replied, “Even if I have to put up with your brother to get it.”

Suki yelled after her teammates, “I’ll catch up with you guys later!” She then turned back to Katara. “So now that we’re alone, why don’t you tell me more about you and Aang?”

Katara gulped.

* * *

After the game ended, the men all huddled up for Piandao’s debrief. He assured them he was proud of their victory, but it had been sloppy, and there would be a lot of work to do when practice resumed Monday. For the rest of the weekend, however, they were free from any more obligations. One of the senior captains of the team, Chit-Sang, had already announced he was throwing a party at his house that night, and many of the older players seemed antsy to begin. 

“I’d like to strongly remind you men that there are rules forbidding any consumption of alcohol twenty-four hours prior to the start of any athletic event -- including practice,” Piandao stated, arms clasped behind his back.

One of the other first-year players did some counting on his fingers, and then turned to his neighbor to give him a very excited thumbs-up. Piandao glared at him with contempt but did not call him out.

“Dismissed,” said Piandao. There was the stampede of players grabbing their bags and equipment, then gunning for the locker rooms in the building nearby.

“Hey Sokka,” Aang slapped him on the shoulder, “Ready for the tailgate?”

“Yes,” Sokka groaned, clutching his stomach, “I’m starving!”

“Will Katara be there?” Aang asked. He brought his jersey up to wipe the sweat out of his eyes.

“Yeah,” Sokka answered. “She’s got something for you, something about your birthday or whatever …”

“Alright!” Aang grinned. He was exhausted from almost ninety minutes straight of running, but that gave him a fresh burst of energy. “Come on Sokka, let’s go!”

The guys quickly showered and redressed, with Aang practically nipping at Sokka’s heels to get him to go faster. “Let’s go Sokka!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Sokka brushed him off. Soon enough though, they had made their way to the parking lot tailgate thrown by some of the parents of the players. A feast was laid out over several tables, with guys lining up to pile food onto their plates. Players ate with their parents, clusters of people standing or sitting in folding chairs.

Aang spotted Katara, along with another girl, standing off to the side. He elbowed Sokka and pointed his head at them.

“Hi!” Katara greeted. “You guys did amazing!” 

She gave Sokka a hug first, then Aang. “Happy birthday, Aang.”

“Thanks, Katara,” Aang grinned at her enthusiastically, his face flushed. He hoped Katara would chock it up to the running and the warm weather. 

Aang then turned to Katara’s friend. “Hi, I’m Aang!” He stuck his hand out for her to shake.

“I’m Suki, Katara’s roommate,” she informed him. “Happy birthday.”

“Nice to formally meet you,” Aang said, “Katara had mentioned she had a cool roommate.” 

Suki smirked. “Well aren’t you a charmer?” Aang smiled, glancing ever so quickly at Katara while he rubbed the back of his neck.

Sokka cleared his throat. “Suki,” he deadpanned.

“Sokka.”

“Congrats on the win.”

“You too.” 

Suki raised an eyebrow. “I’m surprised you even know we won. I thought women’s soccer was beneath you?”

“Actually, I owe you an apology,” Sokka looked down at the ground. Katara nudged Aang and the two walked away so that Sokka and Suki could finish their conversation in private.

Once out of earshot, Aang asked, “So what was that about?”

“Sokka was being his usual, dumb self,” Katara explained, “I think Suki gave him a reality check.” 

Aang nodded. “So what did you think of the game?” The two began to pile food onto their plates; Aang’s a mountain of salad, pasta, and cookies.

“I really enjoyed it,” Katara answered, “You’re the best player I’ve ever seen!”

“Oh, I just … I’m glad you liked it,” Aang blushed. “Does that mean you’ll be at our next one?”

“Sure does.”

Katara and Aang settled onto a grass patch to eat, and were shortly joined by Sokka and Suki, who were clearly feeling more amicable towards each other. The entire team seemed settled into the tailgate, save one lone figure that was just walking up from the locker rooms. He had the team’s signature backpack slung over his shoulder and a shirt on that matched with the other players. Dark hair fell over his face, obscuring most of it, and he slouched as he walked. Something about him stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Who’s that?” Katara asked.

“Zuko,” Sokka sighed, “He’s a jerk.”

“I think he’s just misunderstood,” Aang said sweetly. “He’s the same year as us.”

“Whatever,” Sokka huffed in disagreement.

“Hey Zuko,” Aang called, “You’re welcome to come sit with us if your parents aren’t here.”

“I’d rather sit alone, thanks,” Zuko snapped down at him. The four of them just sat in stunned silence, watching as he brushed past the tailgate, not taking any food or speaking to anyone, determined to be far away from there.

“See? Jerk,” Sokka said.

Aang looked down at his plate dejectedly. “I guess so,” he mumbled. Katara placed a soothing hand on his knee.

“It’s not your fault,” she soothed. She quickly dug through her backpack and pulled out a small jar covered by both her hands. “I have something for you.”

Aang perked up immediately. “What is it?”

Katara unfurled her hands so the jar was now presented to Aang. “It’s eyeblack,” she explained, “Only it’s not black.”

Aang had already unscrewed the lid and swiped his finger over the grease. He brought it up to his face to inspect. “It’s the same color as my tattoos!”

“Yeah, I saw the color and thought it would be a perfect match,” Katara explained.

“Thanks, Katara,” Aang gave her a huge grin. “This is perfect; I can’t wait to use it. I’m gonna paint an arrow on my head!”.

“Happy birthday,” she chuckled. With the Zuko incident now forgotten, their chatter resumed quickly.

“So, I think I heard there’s a party happening tonight?” Suki asked.

* * *

Their first college party was unlike anything Aang had ever experienced before. He had his fair share of childish, destructive antics and plenty of scoldings growing up, but this was its own beast. It had started as they -- Katara, himself, and Sokka -- had all entered through the backdoor of the house, something about preventing the cops' seeing inside. Considering it was now a bastion of uncontained underage drinking, that was a very wise policy.

It was an old, fairly-run down house with floors so dirty and sticky, Aang imagined they had never been cleaned. The back door had spat them into the kitchen. It was lit by a single fluorescent lamp, illuminating many unsavory features of the room. The kitchen appliances were covered in scratches and dings, and the cabinets indicated it had at least been a few decades since the house was last renovated. Food and used dishes sat out over every flat surface, but by far the most common item in the room were red plastic cups. They overflowed from the trash, littered the counter and floor, and even more were stacked up on a cooler in the corner. A group of people were clustered around said cooler, pouring themselves drinks.

“Sokka, Aang!” Chit-Sang greeted them with a thunderous boom. “Sokka’s sister!” He was a very large man, and nearly knocked Sokka over with a slap on the back. 

Chit-Sang pointed over at the cooler. “Jungle juice is in the cooler, beers for you boys are in the fridge.” The men’s team had pooled up some money to cover the cost of alcohol for those interested in partaking. Both Sokka and Aang had contributed their share.

“Now that’s what Sokka’s talking about!” Sokka took off to grab himself a cup of juice.

“What do you want?” Aang turned to ask Katara. She was standing a bit behind him, fiddling with her phone in her hands. He imagined it was a bit of an uncomfortable situation, as it didn’t seem like a lot of people had arrived yet, with the only partygoers around being his teammates. He also couldn’t help but think how beautiful she looked tonight, hair done in her usual elegant braid, somehow making a crop top and jeans look more appealing than Aang would’ve thought possible.

“A beer is good,” she answered. He snatched two cans out of the fridge for them, cracking both open and handing one to her. Aang had never had alcohol before, and wasn’t really sure what to expect as he took a swig. 

He made a sour face. “Yuck, this is gross.”

Katara giggled. “Yeah, it’s pretty bad beer.”

They continued to wander through the house. After the kitchen was a space that was being used as a living room, even though that was probably not the intended purpose. The residents’ had shoved as many dingy couches (three, surprisingly) as possible into the space to surround a huge TV. Multiple gaming consoles were strewn over the coffee table in the center, with some of Aang's teammates already engaged in a video game. Behind the one couch was a large folding table that a few guys were currently using to play beer pong. They kept walking around: past the game table, past the staircase, past the bathroom door, into the final backroom. It was a really dark room, lit only by a blacklight which made Aang’s white shirt and Katara’s canvas shoes glow brightly. A large speaker system was set up in the corners. The room was empty as of now, but music was already blaring from the speakers.

“Dance room?” Aang guessed.

“That would make sense,” Katara yelled. “Let’s go find Sokka.”

They retraced their steps to go find Sokka, only to come back to a much more populated space. People were filing into the house like crazy, but Aang couldn’t really make out anyone specific yet.

“Oh, Suki just got here! I’m going to go say hi,” Katara yelled.

“Okay!” Aang yelled back. He watched as Katara made her way over to the most recent gaggle of girls that had just poured in through the backdoor. The rest of the evening seemed to go exponentially faster; he played enough drinking games to finish the gross beer he had opened, then ended up spending a few whole hours chatting around with new people. A bunch of girls had been super friendly and struck up multiple conversations with him. There were definitely even more people at the party now, to the point where it was getting hard to walk around.

At one point, Aang decided he had enough of the stale taste of beer in his mouth. He was so hot from the collective trapped body heat of all these people and just wanted some water. He left for the kitchen, hoping to refill his empty beer can with water from the tap. Standing near the open back door was Katara, her back pressed up against the wall. Two guys stood talking at her, one with his arm slung up on the wall over her. Aang shifted to make eye contact with her between the guys’ shoulders.

“ _ Save me _ ,” Katara mouthed silently to him across the room, her eyes wide in irritation.

Aang made a beeline right for her, deftly moving through the crowds of people that separated them.

“Hey Katara,” he greeted, throwing a protective arm over her shoulder. He felt Katara press into his side and place a hand over his ribcage. He may or may not have tightened his abs as soon as he felt her touch.

“Hi sweetie,” Katara said. It made Aang’s heart flutter but his brain reminded him it was just for show.

“I’m Aang.” he informed the two guys, sticking out his hand to put more space between them. Neither guy shook his hand, but they mumbled their names before making a hasty exit.

“Thanks,” Katara said as he released her.

“No problem,” Aang said. “I don’t know who those guys were, but they’re definitely not on the team.”

“It’s okay,” Katara said. “I told them I wasn’t interested, but they just seemed to take it as a challenge. I just got out of a relationship after high school, I’m not looking for another.”

“Oh,” Aang said, so quiet that the music drowned him out.

“Oh my god, Aang!” Katara exclaimed, whacking his shoulder. She pointed over to the doorway into the kitchen, where the fluorescent lights illuminated the most shocking scene of the night. Sokka was standing against the cabinets in front of some girl. She sat on the counter-top with her legs wrapped around his waist as they vigorously made out. Their heads tilted just enough to show the face of this mystery girl -- it was Suki.

“Oh …” Aang and Katara both just gawked at the sight before them.

“I think I need some fresh air,” Katara joked.

“Let’s go,” Aang agreed, and they both walked out of the back door to sit on the deck. Aang twisted in his bar stool and began to spin in circles.

Katara giggled. “Are you tipsy Aang?” she teased.

“Yes ... being tipsy is weird,” he said. “I feel fuzzy. And hot.”

“Did you have any of the jungle juice? It was actually pretty good,” Katara said.

Aang opened his mouth to reply, but something caught his attention behind Katara’s head. “Katara, look!” he pointed into the dark backyard.

“What?” Katara asked confusedly, turning around to search the dark landscape.

“I think I saw a cat,” Aang explained. He slammed his can down on the porch railing and took off into the grass.

“Aang, what?” Katara followed after him. By that time, he was already on his hands and knees, reaching behind a broken, discarded grill bed.

“Ah-ha!” Aang exclaimed. “Got ya.” He withdrew his tattooed arm, now heavily covered in charcoal. Grasped in his hand was a small, cream colored ball of fluff. It was a kitten.

Aang moved to sit cross-legged in the grass, cradling the small cat. It was mostly cream colored with a brown face and brown tail, and the largest ears imaginable.

“Aww, he’s so cute,” Katara squatted down to pet the kitten. It was clearly terrified, overstimulated by the loud sounds and the many people circulating in and out of the house

“It’s okay,” Aang soothed, scratching gently under the kitten’s chin. “He doesn’t have a collar.”

“Must be a stray,” Katara said.

“Not anymore,” Aang grinned. He rolled up his shirt to make a supportive pouch for the kitten to lay in, one hand cupping underneath. “I’m gonna take this little guy back to my room. Do you want to join or go back to the party?”

In the distance, a muffled “chug-chug-chug” could be heard. 

“I think I’m good for the night, I’ll go back with you. Give me a minute to let Sokka know,” Katara said.

“No problem,” Aang nodded. While Katara was inside, a few guys came out and started to urinate in the backyard, secluded in the dark corner where the fence met the house. Aang made a mental note to never go crawling for cats over there. He continued to stroke Momo while he waited. Sure enough, Katara resurfaced, and surprisingly Sokka was in tow.

“Ready,” Katara said. “Sokka is coming with us.” 

Sokka swayed back and forth. “Aang! …..” he drawled, “How ya doing, buddy ….”

“Hi Sokka,” came Aang’s amused reply.

“Let’s get you home,” Katara said. She threw Sokka’s arm over her shoulder and wrapped her arm around his waist to stabilize him.

“You got him?” Aang asked. “I can always take a turn if you need.” He rolled his shirt up higher, exposing some midriff, so that Momo would be safe above the jerking of his legs as Aang walked.

“I should be okay,” Katara said. She snuck a quick glance at Aang’s abs peeking out from under his shirt, but he was too enraptured by Momo to notice.

The walk back took a lot longer than expected, as Sokka’s drunken staggering made their progression difficult. It was a ‘two-steps-forward, one-step-back’ kind of deal for the entire twenty minute walk back to their dorm. They only had one brief brush with danger as a campus police car drove down the road they were walking along; Aang and Katara clustered around Sokka to keep him as incognito as possible, and it passed them without delay. Katara and Aang both breathed a sigh of relief. 

“I had some ... cac-tus j-juice” Sokka slurred, “It’ll quench ya … Katara?”

“Yes?”

“It’s the q-q-quenchiest …”

“Okay, Sokka,” Katara replied. Aang was pretty sobered up at this point, and could make out that her patient replies were getting progressively laced with annoyance.

Finally, they arrived at their shared dorm, the familiar metal door marking the end of their journey.

“Do you want help getting Sokka settled?” Aang asked, holding the door open for them.

“Nah, I’ve got him,” Katara said.

Aang peered into his makeshift shift-pouch. “Momo is asleep. I’m gonna go ahead and get him settled into my room.”

“Sounds good,” Katara nodded.

“Text me if you need help with anything,” Aang said. At the stairwell they split, Aang heading down to the first floor, and Katara dragging Sokka’s sorry ass up to the fourth. Once she got him out of his beer-soaked clothes and into some shorts, she shoved him into bed despite his protests. He was a lot heavier now than when they were kids, so Katara was grateful he was still semi-functioning. Katara tucked him in and went to grab him some water to sip, but when she returned from the bathroom he was fast asleep.

She stayed with him for a bit to make sure he was alright before washing up and heading down to her own room. The room was lit only by the string lights taped to the ceiling, but it was enough to still be able to get around without stubbing a toe. By that time, Suki was back from the night’s endeavors -- already washed up and laying drunkenly in bed, texting on her phone.

“Hey … Katara,” she greeted.

“Hi Suki,” Katara replied.

“I heard you left with Aang …” Suki rambled, “Some of my teammates were very jealous ...”

Katara blushed. “It’s not like that, we had to take Sokka home. Apparently someone introduced him to tequila and he had way too much.”

“Oh Sokka? N-never heard of him …” Suki slurred.

“Oh sure,” Katara replied amusedly. She quickly changed out of her party clothes and into an oversized T-shirt, then snuggled into her bed.

“Now,” Katara said, “Let’s talk about the fact you drunkenly made out with my brother.”

The only defense Suki could muster was a loud groan as she flipped over, now face down in her pillow. 

“... Don’t remind me.”

Katara couldn’t help but chuckle to herself. Her phone buzzed, and she snatched it up to see who texted her. It was Aang. He had sent a photo of himself grinning while lying in bed stomach-up with the new kitten curled up asleep under his neck, fur against the skin of his bare chest. 

_ Goodnight Katara! - from Aang and Momo _

_ Goodnight Aang _ , she texted back, smiling long after she put her phone down.


	3. Chapter 3: Gyatso

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang suffers a terrible loss. His friends help him through it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: parental death
> 
> Also, Zuko will undergo a large arc of character development soon. He won't be a jerk for much longer.

Life had been good. Autumn passed by very quickly, between adjusting to the new freedoms of college, classes, and the guys’ soccer season. They had two games a week, practice the other four days, and Sunday as the day to rest. Saturday night parties amongst the different athletic teams had become a source of fun and relaxation for them; it was a break from the everyday stressors. The three of them -- Aang, Katara, and Sokka -- had grown closer and closer. Each day brought with it something exciting, especially as the soccer season progressed into the post-season tournament. 

Out of all the schools in the conference, the top ones would vie for a chance to travel to the national championship. Even though their college had an impressive reputation for soccer, the national tournament was an even larger stage -- and they all wanted to get there. Yesterday, Aang’s stellar performance had led the team to victory in the semi-finals and they were now set to move onto the conference championship tomorrow. Another victory would assure their trip to the national tournament.

But in the meanwhile, Sokka was going to drive Katara to her breaking point. 

They were sharing a table in the library, Katara trying to study while Sokka watched endless game footage from the opposing team they were to face off against tomorrow. Luckily, they had the home field advantage, which had proven convenient for Katara as well. Until a few weeks ago, she and Aang had continued their illicit, late-night swimming pool sessions. Then one night Bumi, the old strange athletic director, had caught them trespassing. 

Bumi had brought them both into his office, cackled to himself, and assigned their punishments; Aang would now be cleaning the pool twice as often and by his lonesome, and Katara, well, Katara had fundamentally violated the rules by using the athletes-only pool. Bumi found it only logical that Katara’s punishment would be to become an athlete herself. She would have to complete the grueling preseason of the swim team, starting in late October. Intimidated and yet motivated by the challenge, she had doubled down on her preparation … and she had made it onto the team.

When she had told everyone she was officially a swimmer again, Aang had been the most excited for her. In his enthusiasm, he had wrapped his arms around her and spun her around until they both felt the heat of Sokka’s inquisitive stare. Sokka was proud of his sister too, and both men were looking forward to the opportunity to support Katara at her meets. The only downside was her swim schedule often conflicted with the end-of-season soccer games. In the meantime, they still found plenty of ways to spend time together; meals, library time, and the occasional party. 

Fortunately, this weekend the men’s team were hosting the conference tournament at home, so Katara was able to make it.

“-- Okay, so number twelve appears to favor his left foot for penalty kicks ... ” Sokka interrupted Katara’s thoughts.

“Sokka, I’m trying to study here,” Katara complained. She gestured to the pre-med textbooks sprawled out over the desk.

“Oh please, you haven’t written anything down in minutes,” Sokka said, “You’ve been completely zoned-out.”

“Have not,” Katara pouted.

Sokka gave her a look and resumed his analytical breakdown of the game footage, furiously jotting down notes. Katara knew for a fact he had an engineering exam coming up, but that was all neglected in preparation for the game -- even though Sokka hadn’t played a minute all season and was incredibly unlikely to see the field tomorrow either.

“Have you heard from Aang today?” Katara asked.

“No,” Sokka answered nonchalantly, “Not since practice this morning.”

“Huh,” said Katara, “Usually he would be here.”

Aang, an environmental science major, never seemed to have as much work as the siblings. He usually only spotted in the library socializing or buying snacks. And when he did study, it was often on the patio outside, Appa sprawled beside him. But it was the Saturday before a game, and since there was nothing else to do but wait for tomorrow, Aang would usually be with his friends to pass the time.

Katara’s phone vibrated swiftly against the table top, making a sound much louder that she expected. “Shit!” she whispered, snatching it. Sokka looked up from his laptop, annoyed at the interruption. A few other heads nearby turned at the sound. “Sorry.”

It was a message from an unsaved number. Curious, Katara opened it: _Hey Katara, this is Teo, Aang’s roommate. I think something might be up; maybe you should check on him. I’m headed to the gym to meet a friend but I left the door unlocked_

Katara wondered what could be up. She had met Teo before a few times. He was a sweet guy, very friendly and laid back. He even had a few classes with Sokka, since they were both engineering majors. His wheelchair also meant his and Aang’s first-floor dorm suite was larger than most, which Momo had certainly come to appreciate.

Katara typed a quickly response back: _Thanks for the heads up, I’ll go check on him_

“Hey Sokka, Teo just texted saying something’s up with Aang,” Katara said, starting to pack up her books. “I’m going to go check on him.”

“Okay,” Sokka said, starting to move as well. “I’ll go too. Some movement would be good for the ole legs.” He struck a rather goofy-looking stretch as he stood.

The siblings cleared out of the library and headed for the dorms. When they reached Aang’s suite, Katara noticed the door was cracked slightly. That was odd, as Aang was usually fairly diligent about keeping it closed, in case Momo got out accidentally. The lights were out too.

“... Aang?” Katara spoke, slowly opening the door. Sokka was right behind her.

There was only silence.

Katara slid inside the cracked door. She raised a hand behind her to halt Sokka, who shifted to guard the entrance protectively.

Nothing could have prepared Katara for the scene inside. All the lights were off except a small lamp on Aang’s desk. It cast the room in a blue hue, creating sharp shadows all around her. In the center of the room was Aang. He was on his knees, crumbled and hunched over, head down over something in his lap. The air conditioner that divided the room into Aang and Teo’s respective halves was on at full blast. The room itself was ice cold, and the way Aang had positioned himself directly in front of it led Katara to expect he must’ve been frozen.

“Aang, it’s me,” Katara said. She stepped closer hesitantly. “What’s going on?” Her heart was pounding in her ears.

He didn’t reply.

She stepped even closer. Katara could now see Aang held a picture frame in his hands. Inside was a photo of a young Aang and an older man with a grand mustache, but the glass was broken over top of them. Upon brief inspection, Aang’s entire half of the room was completely destroyed. All his books and papers had been swiped off his desk onto the floor. His bed was covered in debris. His dresser drawers were all open, and clothes hung out of them like ivy. A duffle bag was halfway packed on the floor, Aang’s shattered phone on top.

His eyes were closed. He was so quiet and still it would’ve looked serine, except for the anguished expression on his face.

“Aang …” Katara said, “What happened?”

He didn’t answer.

Katara didn’t know what else to do. He was so far away from everything, from her, from the world. She needed a way to reach him, to bring him back. She did the only thing she could think of -- she grabbed him and pulled him into her embrace. She needed to let him know she was there for him. To give him something words could not.

Nothing happened for a few minutes. She supposed that was an okay sign, right? It’s not like he was shoving her away. He was just motionless, silent …

And then his heart opened and he shattered.

“Gyatso … he’s _gone_ …”

Aang started sobbing into Katara’s arms. She adjusted and wrapped around him more. 

“I’m so sorry, Aang,” Katara spoke low. “What happened?”

“He passed away in the hospital this morning,” Aang whispered.

She felt one of his tears hit her forearm.

“I’m here, Aang,” she soothed. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

Aang clutched the fabric of her sweatshirt.

“I know you’re feeling unfathomable rage and loss,” she said, “It’s okay to let yourself feel those things.”

His sobbing continued, his ribcage shaking sharply, and Katara held him through it all. Nothing would loosen her soothing grip on him, even as her arms began to tire. 

After a while, his breathing stabilized.

Aang brought a hand up to his face to wipe away the tears that had yet to fall to the floor.

“I … I’ve lost my entire family. Gyatso was all I had,” Aang spoke in the softest, most heart-breaking voice. 

“I know how hard it is to lose a parent,” Katara said, “But you still have a family. Sokka and I, we’re your family now.”

She hugged him even tighter.

“Katara and I aren’t going to let anything happen to you, Aang,” a protective, familiar voice said. Sokka had ended his vigil and joined them inside, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. He knelt down and wrapped over them like a shield.

They stayed huddled in the cold, silent room until Aang was ready to break apart.

“Thank you,” he sniffled. “I’m okay now.”

* * *

They dealt with the aftermath of Gyatso’s death together. That night, Katara had shuttled Aang up to Sokka’s bed and tucked him in. Sokka’s roommate hadn’t slept there since week one, so it was the perfect setup to make sure Aang wasn’t alone that night. Katara even brought up an air mattress she borrowed from Suki to join the boys. Sokka had offered his bed up to Katara but she said something about how she would “rather sleep on concrete than on his dirty sheets.”

While Katara dealt with Aang, Sokka finished cleaning up the younger man’s collateral damage so that Teo could move around the space comfortably. He then headed up to join his sister and teammate. The three of them watched some nostalgic old cartoons until four in the morning, at which point both Aang and Katara had already passed out. Sokka shut the TV off, adjusted Katara’s blanket so she was better covered, and then fell asleep himself.

The next day, Sokka met with Coach Piandao to inform him of what had occurred. If Piandao was displeased that his star player would not be attending the conference finals, he didn’t show it anymore than a grim set to his jaw. Some of Aang’s teammates were less understanding when informed of his absence.

“That’s not a good excuse,” Zuko mumbled under his breath, glaring a hole into the floor of the locker room.

Sokka’s head shot up at the comment. “What the fuck did you just say?”

“I said that Aang should be here,” Zuko spat. “He made a commitment to be here today; we all did. He can deal with his family issues later. We’re going to lose without him.”

“Family issues?” Sokka stood up, ready to brawl, “What is your problem, Zuko? Don’t you give a shit about your family?”

Zuko jerked forward to stand up and meet him, but an arm thrust his body back down.

“Enough!” Piandao snapped. “Zuko, get out. Sokka, go home. I will not tolerate any fighting in my locker room today.”

That had been the end of that. Zuko was right -- they did lose the conference finals without Aang’s superior skill set to aid them, but Sokka didn’t care. Aang shouldn’t be solely responsible for if they win or lose; that was too much weight for one person to carry. Sokka was still pissed off that he got sent home because of Zuko, but he would defend Aang against that jerk again in a heartbeat.

* * *

Iroh stroked his beard thoughtfully as he looked over the menu of his tea shop. Now retired from his renowned military career, he was the brand new owner and operator of the Jasmine Dragon Tea Shop. He had chosen to open it here, in the collegetown of Republic City, as his nephew Zuko would be attending college nearby for the next several years. Iroh had even closed down the shop this morning so that he would be able to go support Zuko in his biggest collegiate soccer game yet.

The back door of the tea shop opened abruptly, sunlight spilling in.

Iroh glanced around the corner, only to see his nephew sulking in the doorway.

“Zuko? What are you doing here?” Iroh asked. “I was just about to leave for your game.”

“I’m not playing,” Zuko grumbled.

“What happened?” Iroh waved Zuko inside, and the two walked into his office in the back of the shop.

“Piandao kicked Sokka and I out,” Zuko explained.

Iroh hummed thoughtfully, sitting down in his chair. “And why, on the day of the championship, would your coach decide this?”

“I …” Zuko faltered, hanging his head slightly. “Might’ve said some things …”

“Does this have anything to do with young Aang’s absence today?” Iroh sipped at his tea.

“How did you know about that?” Zuko’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Professor Roku and I usually enjoy a nice pai sho game at lunchtime - “

“Oh good, I’m glad you two can sit around and waste time together,” Zuko sneered.

“Zuko,” Iroh chided. “Roku informed me that a dear friend of his passed away yesterday. Your young friend is grieving the loss of his father.”

“He’s not my friend!” Zuko huffed. “And I would love to have that problem.”

Iroh winced behind his teacup. “Regardless, that young man is going through a tremendous loss. Do not let your personal feelings about today cloud your heart.”

“Everyone loses people they care about,” Zuko said cynically. “Life doesn’t stop to wait for them.”

“You know the pain of losing a parent,” Iroh said. “Grief is a strong thing.”

“I don’t need any reminders,” Zuko spat, but it lacked its usual vigor. His head hung low and he was unable to look Iroh in the eye.

Zuko turned to face the pictures Iroh had hung on the wall. The grand one, framed in gold, was of his son Lu Ten, dressed in full military blues, looking strong and distinguished. To the right was one of Iroh, Zuko, and Lu Ten at the beach -- a young Lu Ten built a sandcastle while baby Zuko was held aloft by Iroh. To the left was a photo taken of their whole extended family, many years ago. Lu Ten was by Iroh’s side, and both Zuko and Azula were basically toddlers. Above them, Ursa’s face stared back at Zuko, gentle and loving. It made Zuko want to smash his fist into the glass.

“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again,” Iroh offered, “It is only your first year here. There will be more chances.”

“A year from now,” Zuko mumbled.

“Wanting to win a championship is a noble goal,” Iroh said, “But it is only an arbitrary measurement of your self-worth.”

“Don’t tell me about my self-worth,” Zuko spat. “I need to win a championship to show my father that I can accomplish something important. That the company will be in good hands with me. That I’m … that I’m a real man.”

“Nephew, my brother’s homophobic opin --”

“I’m done with this lecture.” Zuko slammed the door shut behind him, leaving Iroh alone in his office once more. 

Iroh sighed, slowly standing up again. His heart ached something terrible.

* * *

Meanwhile, Katara had taken Sokka’s truck and driven Aang down to the hospital in the heart of Republic City. It had taken forever with all the traffic and construction, the two of them sitting in uneasy, mournful silence. The only brevity was each other’s company, as well as Appa’s snoring from the backseat and Momo’s purring from Aang’s lap.

“Thank you for coming,” Aang said quietly.

“Of course,” Katara replied. Without a second thought, she took one hand off the steering wheel to hold his hand comfortingly until a traffic maneuver demanded it back.

Once at the hospital, Aang spoke with the hospital staff who ferried him into the bowels of the building. Katara stayed in the car with the animals until he resurfaced, a small urn cradled in his hands. That afternoon, they drove out to the Patola Mountain Range a few hours away from the city. Aang requested Katara give Appa a chance to stretch his legs while he went to spread Gyatso’s ashes. Once he found a suitable spot -- up high, with the wind blowing lively, and the view breathtaking -- he gently released the ashes from his palm into the air.

When he returned to the car, Aang pressed his forehead to Appa’s. “We’re all that’s left now, buddy ... I love you.” 

Aang embraced the dog for several minutes, his arms vanishing into Appa’s thick fur. Appa must’ve understood what happened in a way, as he bent his head down over Aang’s shoulder to return the hug. Everyone then loaded back up into the car and they set off. They didn’t get back to campus until late that night, the sun setting on them during the drive home.

“Katara?” Aang asked softly, staring off at the purple clouds congregated on the horizon.

“Yeah, Aang?”

“Does this get easier?” 

Katara’s eyebrows shot up inquisitively. “Does what get easier?”

“Missing your mom,” Aang said.

“It does … and it doesn’t,” Katara said slowly. “I still miss her everyday. But the pain changes … some days it’s duller, some days it’s less frequent.”

Aang nodded grimly.

“You already know this is her necklace,” Katara said, bringing a hand up to touch her mother’s necklace.

Aang nodded.

“It was Gran-Gran’s first,” Katara explained. “She gave it to my mom, who then gave it to me. It helps me feel like she’s still with me. Do you have something from Gyatso that can keep you connected to his memory?”

Aang smiled softly. “My tattoos. Gyatso had the same ones.”

Katara opened her mouth to speak, closed it, then opened it again. “I noticed you always referred to Gyatso as your foster dad, not just ‘dad’,” Katara said, “How come?”

“He was my foster dad,” Aang explained, “There’s no shame in us not being biologically related. I am -- was proud that he was my foster dad ... that we found each other out of everyone.”

Katara nodded, her heart aching sweetly. “What was he like?”

Aang sighed and leaned back in his seat. “He was wonderful … he was hilarious, and he made the best fruit pies.”

Katara sat quietly, hands loosely cupping the steering wheel, mellowed by the wistful tone in Aang’s voice.

“He taught me how to play pai sho when I was young. We started to play it all the time,” Aang rambled, “One time I caught him cheating, moving pieces around when I wasn’t looking.”

Katara smiled softly.

“Then when he got diagnosed -- lung cancer -- I would go to the hospital after school and play with him during his chemo treatments,” Aang continued. “It was a good way to pass a terrible time.”

“We had so much fun together,” Aang reminisced, “But he was still wise and kind and understanding. When I was little, I would get scared and nervous often. He taught me a trick to overcome my fear: close my eyes, take a few deep breaths, and think of my favorite animal.”

“What animal did you think of?” Katara asked.

“A dog,” Aang answered softly. Katara glanced over to see his eyes were now closed, and his chest rose greatly with each breath. Once she realized he was using the exact trick, she kept quiet to let him focus in peace. Katara’s mind wandered as she tried to figure out the animal she would think of -- a penguin maybe, or an otter.

After many minutes passed, Katara realized Aang had been silent for a while. She glanced over to see his head slumped back against the headrest, his eyes still closed, and his lips parted ever so slightly. He had fallen asleep. Good; he needed the rest.

“Sleep well, Aang,” Katara whispered. The sun had vanished under the horizon and they were now left in the tranquil solace of the night. It was Katara’s favorite time of the day -- she loved the feeling of the moonlight on her skin and the stars above her -- but it didn’t exactly lend itself to making driving easier. With a deep breath, she gripped the steering wheel tighter, blinked a few times, and refocused on getting them back home.

Sokka was waiting for them outside the dorm.

“Hey Sokka,” Aang greeted tiredly.

“Hey Aang,” Sokka wrapped him in a comforting hug.

“I’m sorry about the game,” Aang informed Sokka.

“I’m not,” Sokka said. “There are more important things.”

“I cannot believe you just said that, Mr. Competitive,” Katara teased, giving him a look of fake shock.

Aang chuckled and the air lightened. Once again, the three of them fell asleep that night in the comfort of each other’s company.


	4. Chapter 4: Grief and Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang and Katara both discover the aftermath of loss takes a little while to appear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: binge drinking, grieving a dead parent
> 
> Author Notes: Thank you very much for all the kudos and comments; they are greatly appreciated. This started out as a nostalgic project for myself and I feel honored that others are enjoying it as well. Please stay tuned for more!
> 
> Disclaimer: Most of Pathik's lines within come from the show -- these words are not mine. Full credit to the writers of 'The Guru' Episode:  
> "The Guru." Avatar: the Last Airbender: Season 2: Earth. Writ. Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. Dir. Giancarlo Volpe. Nickelodeon, 2006. DVD.

Autumn turned to winter and life carried on. With their season over, Aang and Sokka now had too much free time on their hands. It almost seemed as if they lost a brain cell every day they didn’t play soccer. Their free time was now spent showering Appa with attention, playing video games, or disrupting Katara with their antics. Their now-relaxed schedules irritated Katara more than she expected. As her swim season and pre-med classes grew more intense and demanding, her free time dwindled. The contrast between their daily routines was drastic.

There were upsides to it as well. The guys were always present for every home meet that Katara swam in, cheering obnoxiously. Apparently it worked though, as Katara’s reputation as an incredible swimmer quickly became known throughout the conference. It was hard work, but her passion for swimming had been recharged in a way that made her feel like a kid again.

Katara also noticed that Aang had taken it upon himself to keep her company during her late-night study binges. Suki would often be studying with Katara, but the latter noticed that whenever Aang would come around Suki would find some excuse to leave the two of them be. Sokka was way too preoccupied with avoiding Suki after their drunken hookup, and coupled with his master sleep schedule it was a guarantee he wouldn’t show up. 

Since Aang didn’t often have homework to keep him up so late, he would just sit and watch TV across the table from her, sneakily petting Momo under his sweatshirt. 

“You know, Momo is almost getting too big for that,” Katara pointed out.

“Shhh,” Aang covered Momo’s ears and shot Katara a mockingly-annoyed glare. “Don’t tell him that.”

She chuckled as his face flashed into a grin.

Katara often found herself enjoying the extra time with him. His presence was soothing even when she was under a load of stress. Every once and awhile their feet would brush together, only to be followed by brief apologies and shy smiles.

Katara let out a large sigh and dropped her pen onto her notebook. Her eyes were burning and her shoulders ached from being hunched over her books for too long.

“I think I’m done for the night,” she said. She glanced at her watch. It was already past one o’clock in the morning.

Aang stood, adjusted Momo, and packed his laptop up as well. “Did you figure out how to save the world yet?” he joked.

“No, not tonight,” Katara laughed. “I still think you’d stand a better chance at that than me.”

“Hey, don’t cut yourself short,” Aang smiled, “I believe in you.”

Katara fiddled with her braid, hoping her cheeks weren’t too red.

“Ready?” Aang asked, gesturing to the door.

“Let’s go,” Katara said, and the two exited side-by-side. The cold air hit them with a rush, stealing their breath away. It was clear that winter’s inevitable advance was almost upon them. Dead leaves were scattered along the sidewalks, and the bare branches above framed the stars beautifully.

“Spirits, it’s cold,” Aang said. He puffed out a short breath, entertained by the cloud of frosty condensation.

“I love it,” Katara grinned. She pulled her puffy coat tighter around her and tucked her hands into her armpits all the same. 

Thankfully, the walk back to their dorm wasn’t too long. Katara couldn’t help it as her thoughts drifted to Aang. As much as she enjoyed his late night company, she couldn’t help but feel like there was another motivation to it. Aang was still acting like his bubbly, life-of-the-party self, but she knew he had to be grieving Gyatso still. Katara wasn’t sure how to broach the subject without bringing up more pain. But she had a feeling there was something stirring inside him that needed to be addressed, whether Aang knew it or not. 

The silence of the night seemed deafening as questions rattled through her brain.

“How are you doing?” Katara blurted out, surprising herself a little.

Aang turned to look at her, also caught off-guard. “... I’m good. Why do you ask?”

Katara took a deep breath. “I just … I noticed you’ve been …” Katara mentally smacked herself. What could she say? That he’d been spending a lot of time with her? That wasn’t a bad thing, and she definitely didn’t want it to stop. 

“... that you’ve been distracted recently.”

Aang furrowed his brows. “Really? I don’t feel distracted.”

“I just mean how, like, you’ve been staying up late with me a lot,” Katara said.

“... do you not want me to?” Aang asked, looking concerned.

“No, I like it!” Katara quickly assured him.

“So what’s the problem?”

“Look, you’ve been working out a lot with Sokka too,” Katara pointed out.

“Yeah, Sokka’s trying to bulk up …” Aang said slowly, not understanding where the conversation was headed. “I’ve been going to support him. And I like working out when no one is telling me to go practice things or run places.”

“Yep,” Katara tightened her crossed arms. “I just meant -- I think you’re keeping yourself distracted so you don’t have to confront your loss of Gyatso.”

Her outburst was met with silence.

“Do ... do you want to talk about it?” Katara spoke carefully.

“Not really,” Aang dismissed. His jaw was set firmly and his stoic body language made it clear he was ready for the conversation to be over, but Katara couldn’t leave it alone.

“It doesn’t have to be with me,” she said. 

Their conversation paused as they arrived back at the dorm. He held the front door open for her to walk through. A gust of warm air escaped around them and she quickly headed inside in pursuit of more. She turned back around to face him, blood returning to her face in the heat. His cheeks were bright red too, and his eyes were darkened in pain.

“I just think maybe it would help --”

“Thank you for your concern,” Aang said coldly. A muscle in his jaw pulsed. “Goodnight, Katara.” He abruptly turned on his heel and walked down the far hallway.

Katara’s mouth opened after him, but no words came out. All she could do was stand there feeling like a hurricane just blew through her, and watch as his figure briskly disappeared down a stairwell.

The rest of the week was uncomfortable. Her interactions with Aang were limited to short, choppy replies. Sokka noticed but didn’t meddle; Katara often over-stepped but Sokka didn’t disagree with her point. Katara had even texted Aang that she’d be at the library late one night and for the first time, he never showed. She couldn’t help but feel guilty over their last late-night interaction, but she also believed she wasn’t in the wrong for just trying to help him. He needed her help, whether he knew it or not. She didn’t know what to do.

Then came Friday night.

Katara was to have a meet the next day, so she had to stay in while the guys were free to go out partying with their teammates. Still perseverating over her and Aang, Katara was lying on her bed staring at the photos hung along her wall with some random movie playing in the background. Usually Aang would’ve stayed in with her for a bit, watching TV and goofing around, until she would head to bed early for a full night’s sleep, and only then would he leave her to meet up with his teammates. She wished he was there with her now.

Suddenly, her phone rang violently -- vibrating furiously against her desk. Katara rushed to silence it, but picked up once she noticed it was Sokka calling.

“Sokka?” Katara asked.

“Come to 808 right away. Use my truck,” Sokka ordered, his voice deep and concerned. Katara’s heart plummeted. What was wrong? Was Aang okay?

“I’m on my way,” Katara said. She grabbed the spare key to Sokka’s truck from her shelf and drove over to the address he had texted: _808 Bender Way_. It was an old townhouse that was close to downtown collegetown, a popular neighborhood for the older students who lived off campus. As she pulled up outside, she recognized it was Chit-Sang’s house -- the site of their very first college party.

She hastily pulled into the gravel driveway. There were other cars parked there too, so the bed of Sokka’s truck stuck out a bit into the road, but it was dark and hardly any other cars were roaming around. Katara yanked the keys out of the ignition and hopped out of the car. She started to walk along the path into the backyard, realizing how gross the house really was when sober. The smell of beer was overwhelming.

She was barely into the backyard when Sokka reached her. He stood slouched in the shadows, the body of another man hanging off his shoulders. Sokka’s arm was wrapped around the waist of the other guy, pulling him along. As Sokka stepped forward, a beam of light illuminated the top of a familiar blue-arrowed cap. Aang!

“Oh spirits,” Katara exclaimed, rushing to take a hold of Aang’s limp body. “What happened? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine; he’s had way too much to drink,” Sokka explained. “Can you get him home?”

“Of course,” Katara nodded, and the siblings worked in tandem to hoist Aang up into the passenger seat. Katara hopped into the driver’s side while Sokka buckled Aang in.

“Hang in there, buddy,” Sokka murmured.

Katara glared at Sokka. She wasn’t mad  _ at him _ , but he just happened to be in the warpath of her turbulent gaze. “Are you coming?” she demanded to know.

Sokka got a sheepish look on his face. “Can you handle him? I kind of met someone,” he scratched at the back of his neck. “Her name’s Yue, and she’s --”

“-- Yeah, I’ve got it,” Katara cut him off. The sound of the ignition drowned out Sokka’s thank-you. Katara didn’t wait around; she needed to get her friend home.

“What did you do, Aang?” Katara spoke out loud, not expecting him to even hear her, let alone answer. “I thought you could barely even finish one beer.”

“Not beer …” Aang slurred. “I’m sorry … Katara.”

Aang was in and out of consciousness the whole drive. Bless the spirits, he waited until they got back to the dorm to start puking in the bushes outside. If he had puked in Sokka’s truck, well, that wouldn’t have been a good time for all three of them.

“It’s okay,” Katara soothed, rubbing his back as they disturbed the shrubbery. “Get it out.”

It took about half an hour of vomiting until he was done and able to walk again; Katara was eternally grateful that no campus police had walked by at that time. That would’ve made the situation ten times worse. Heavy was a coach’s punishment for any athletes getting caught drinking underaged. She led Aang upstairs, pulling him as straight as possible as he staggered side-to-side against her.

Aang banged his back against the door to his room to get it to open, startling Teo inside. His roommate wheeled around to face the room’s intruders. He looked visibly confused as Aang slumped onto his bed, but relaxed once Katara appeared.

“Everything okay?” Teo asked, pulling his clunky gaming headphones off to hear the response.

“We’re okay,” Katara replied. “I got this.”

Teo shrugged and turned back to his game, restoring his headphones to his ears. Katara was grateful for that small privacy. Aang had somehow already taken off his shirt, and was now fumbling with his shoes. Katara knelt down, swatted his hands away, and deftly pulled the canvas shoes off his feet. After removing his socks, she was momentarily surprised to see familiar blue arrows on his feet before quickly remembering she had already seen them during their illicit swimming sessions. For a split second, she wondered just how much area on his body was covered by his tattoos. Aang groaned and Katara quickly refocused on the task at hand.

“I’m going to turn around,” Katara said. “Take off your pants and get under your covers.”

She turned to stare over Teo’s shoulders, watching as his character parachuted out of a plane into a dark wasteland below. After hearing a sufficient amount of fabric rustling, Katara turned back around to see Aang had listened to her.

“Someone had a lot to drink tonight,” she said, wondering if he would respond to the dig.

“I’m sorry, Katara,” Aang mumbled, his eyes closed. He had only pulled his blankets up to his navel, and Katara was making a very conscious effort to not let her eyes wander any lower than his own. She had occasionally snuck glances at his chest during their time in the pool, but this -- in his room and with him this drunk -- felt way different.

“So what did you so dirty?” she asked, sitting on the bed by his side. She grabbed his water bottle off the floor and unscrewed the lid.

“Vodka cranberries …” Aang replied. “They’re so good …”

Katara wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. Aang was so genuine, so above the culture of toxic masculinity to so easily admit to getting smashed off the most basic, stereotypically feminine drink. But his confession made her heart ache. Aang had told her previously he enjoyed the buzz of being tipsy, but never felt the need to go any further like so many in their college athlete drinking culture did. What had changed?

“Why did you have so much?” Katara pressed his water bottle (reusable, of course) to his lips. Aang sipped the water softly before answering.

“You were right,” Aang confessed. “I was keeping myself … distracted.”

Katara moved his hat from his scalp to his bedpost. She then ran a soothing hand over the side of his head, his short stubbly hairs scratching gently along her palm.

“I was mad … that you brought it up,” Aang said. “I was doing just fine … before.”

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” said Katara. “I was just worried about you.”

Katara placed a gentle hand on his leg, the covers preventing them from touching fully. “Talk to me,” she begged.

Aang only slumped deeper into his pillows, looking so small and frail. There were tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

“Aang, you need to talk to someone about this,” Katara said sternly. “It’s okay to grieve, but you need to do it in a healthy way. After I lost my mom, therapy was really helpful for me. It could help you too.”

Aang was silent for a moment. “Okay. I’ll think about it.” He pulled the blankets up around his shoulder and turned on his side, his back to Katara.

Katara, not satisfied with his answer but realizing she couldn’t push him any further, accepted that as the end to their conversation.

“Get some rest, Aang,” she said, getting up from his bed. “You’re going to feel like shit in the morning.”

“Yeah …” is all he offered. Katara clicked the door shut as she exited, a little piece of her heart chipping off as she left.

* * *

Aang walked down the hall of the luxury office building, searching through the gold plaques on each oak door. Towards the end he finally found his query, a plaque reading ‘Dr. G. Pathik, PsyD.’ Aang let out a sharp exhale and pulled the door open.

Inside was a typical small waiting area, with a receptionist’s desk in the corner. “Hi,” the receptionist smiled at him, “Can I help you?”

“Uh, I have an appointment with Doctor Pathik,” Aang said.

“Oh yes, you filled today’s cancellation,” the receptionist recognized. “Very fortunate, especially for a weekend.”

She quickly confirmed some of his personal information. “Great, please take a seat and Doctor Pathik will be with you once he finishes with his current client,” she informed him.

“Thank you,” Aang said politely. He unslung his backpack from his shoulder and placed it under his chair. He pulled out his phone to check the score of Katara’s meet. Aang smiled. They were winning, and Katara had placed first in her event.

The door on the far side of the room opened and Aang’s head jerked up in response. Walking out was the last person Aang expected to see. Dark hair hung messily over a familiar face, partially obscuring a large red scar. Zuko.

Both men froze, amber eyes and grey eyes locked together in surprise and shock. Aang was the first to recover, glancing back down at his phone like nothing had happened, but his heart was racing. Out of his peripheral vision, he could see Zuko briskly exit the office. The door shut with a thud louder than Aang’s would’ve expected.

“You may go back now,” the receptionist’s voice called out.

“Huh?” Aang mumbled, head rising out of his panicked trance. “Oh, right! Thank you.” He quickly collected himself, the initial shock fading, and grabbed his bag before walking over to the office door.

“Doctor Pathik?” Aang inquired. He poked his head in through the doorway. Inside, an older man sat behind a small marble desk. He was bald with bushy eyebrows, and his long white beard contrasted sharply against his dark skin. There was a couch and two chairs in front of him. There was little else in the minimalist space, save a bookshelf and some plants.

The old man looked up from his desk and smiled. “Ah, you must be Aang. Come in.” He gestured inward, indicating Aang was to take a seat on the couch. The therapist shifted over to one of the lounge chairs.

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Pathik said.

“Likewise,” Aang bowed his head slightly.

“So what brings you to my office, young man?” Pathik gave him a kind smile. He had many smile lines etched into his face, and crow’s feet by his eyes.

“I … I don’t know really,” Aang said. He stared down at the coffee table. It was covered in small clay pots and succulents. There was a bowl of marbles as well; Aang plucked two up and started rolling them around in his hand.

“There seems to be something on your mind,” the therapist noted. He sat quietly and patiently until Aang broke the silence.

“I did something last night that I’m not proud of,” Aang confessed.

“What are you ashamed of?” Pathik inquired. Despite the neutral expression, Aang could feel the older man’s eyes locked on him.

Though Aang’s memory was a bit choppy, he could still hear the hurt and worry in Katara’s voice.  _ It’s okay to grieve, but you need to do it in a healthy way. After I lost my mom, therapy was really helpful for me. It could help you too ... _

“I … I hurt my friend,” Aang continued to roll the marbles, feeling the smooth glass swirl against his palm. “She was just worried about me and I pushed her away.”

Pathik made a thoughtful noise. “Are you disappointed in yourself?”

“Yes,” Aang confessed, squeezing his eyes shut. “Katara was just trying to help me.”

“Sometimes we hurt those we love,” Pathik said. “It is what we do afterwards that is important. If you try to deny or forget your mistakes, you cannot achieve balance. Only by embracing both our successes and failures do we find balance within.”

Aang nodded in acceptance.

“Why was your friend concerned for you?” Pathik asked.

Aang took a deep breath. “My foster dad, Gyatso, passed away recently. He had been fighting lung cancer for the past year.”

Pathik hummed sadly. “You have indeed felt a great loss.”

“I … haven’t really taken the time to process things. I had too much to drink the other night, and Katara had to take care of me,” Aang said.

“And how did you feel that night?”

“At first, frustrated and hurt,” Aang said. “I was keeping myself distracted, but when Katara pointed that out, all the pain came rushing back in. It was overwhelming. It felt like the weight of the world was suddenly placed on my shoulders … that it would crush me.”

“I don’t even really like drinking,” Aang confessed. “I just wanted to feel numb. I kept going; I wanted to dull the ache in my gut.”

“Ah,” Pathik remarked. “You are burdened by your guilt. Tell me, what are you blaming yourself for?”

Aang paused, searching for the feelings he had buried in the pit of his stomach. He already knew the answer, it was a thought that had been burning away his heart for awhile now. “I … I should’ve been there … I ran away from him when he needed me.”

“Been where?”

“With Gyatso!” Aang snapped. “I should’ve been there with him in the hospital. He shouldn’t have been alone when he died.”

Pathik didn’t reply for a minute. Aang took a deep breath to center himself and let thoughts of Appa and Momo wash over his mind.

“You could not have changed Gyatso’s fate. It was his time,” Pathik said. “Accept these things, but do not let them cloud your heart.”

“I know he was proud of me, and I know he was excited for me to start this new chapter of my life,” Aang said, “But I should’ve gone back to visit him more. I think … a part of me wanted to run away from it all.”

Pathik drew another breath and continued. “It is normal for a child to feel overwhelmed when facing the loss of a parent. You must forgive yourself.”

Aang closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

“Lay all your grief out in front of you,” Pathik’s voice echoed in his ears. “And remember, love is a form of energy. Gyatso’s love for you can never be destroyed. You still carry it in your heart, and it will be reborn into new love.”

Katara’s face briefly flashed across Aang’s mind.

He exhaled fully, letting the air take his grief with it.

“I still feel sad,” Aang said. “But I do feel better. Thank you.” He bowed his head in gratitude.

“Healing will take time,” Gyatso advised. “Allow yourself to feel both the positive and negative emotions. Keep your heart open for the ones who care for you, and let your pain flow away as love flows in.”

Aang opened his eyes, shoulders standing a bit taller again. Pathik smiled at him soothingly.

“Very good,” Pathik told him. “I believe that is enough for today. I hope to see you again soon, young Aang.”

“Thank you, Doctor Pathik,” Aang said. He grabbed his backpack and rose to his feet, depositing the marbles back into their bowl. He knew where his path would take him next -- to Katara.

* * *

After a brief text conversation, Katara agreed to meet with Aang outside their dorm that night.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Aang echoed. “Congratulations on the win.”

“Thanks,” Katara replied curtly. She reached up to her neck to toy with her mother’s necklace. She was wearing her classic party outfit; a crop-top and jeans, but this time with a bomber jacket to help combat the cold. Aang thought she looked beautiful. 

“I’m sorry I missed it,” Aang said, sitting against the half-wall lining the patio outside the dorm. Katara crossed her arms over her chest. 

“It was strange not seeing you there today,” she said quietly, shivering. Even with the addition of her jacket, Aang knew she had to be freezing in the cold night air. He wasn’t all that warm himself, even with a blanket thrown around him.

“I had a good reason. Here,” Aang said, offering her a half of the blanket wrapped around his shoulder.

Katara looked at it for a second, contemplating whether or not to take it. A gust of cold air blew past them, making her decision easy. She moved to lean against the same half-wall as Aang, shoulder-to-shoulder but not touching, and wrapped the blanket over herself.

“I owe you an apology, Katara,” Aang said, turning to find her ocean-blue eyes. They were glimmering in the moonlight, and Aang felt like he could plunge into them.

“You tried to help me and I pushed you away,” he continued. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

Katara’s shoulder brushed against his affectionately. “I know I can get over-involved in people’s business sometimes. If I went too far, I’m sorry.”

“Nah, you were right,” Aang said. “I went to see a therapist. It was really helpful.”

“I’m glad,” Katara smiled softly.

“And thank you for taking care of me last night,” Aang said. “I’m lucky to have a friend like you.” Aang winced internally as the word ‘friend’ left his mouth, but he hoped she didn’t notice. They were friends for certain, but there was a part of Aang that felt -- hoped -- that they were maybe a bit more than that.

“Of course,” Katara said.

“So are we good now?” The corner of Aang’s mouth twitched optimistically.

“We’re good,” Katara gave him a soft smile. She turned to face him with her body, and wrapped her arms around him in a firm hug. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Katara,” Aang said gently, sinking into the comfort of her arms once more. “Thank you for being there for me.”

“I always will be,” Katara promised.

And for some inexplicable reason, Aang felt that she truly meant it too.


	5. Chapter 5: Jet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Winter Break. Aang doesn't make a new friend, but Katara unfortunately does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: implied sexual themes; mentions of a toxic relationship

Aang woke up one cold December morning shivering. Still half asleep, he peered over to the window to see it was left slightly ajar. He vaguely remembered opening it last night to let a bug out and must’ve forgotten to close it.

Aang shifted under the warmth of his covers, weighting the pros and cons of getting up. Momo was snuggled into his shoulder, a ball of warmth, and the movement would surely disrupt the cat. On the other hand, Aang was freezing. After a few minutes, he decided to get up and close it. By that time, however, the cold air had already woken him up past the point of return.

He stretched and yawned silently, being careful to avoid waking Teo. His roommate could be seen cocooned in his respective bed as the sunrise light began to creep into the room. Aang glanced down at his watch; it was seven in the morning. Since classes had ended for the semester, and finals week was already over for Aang, the day was his to spend as he wished. It only took a moment for him to decide on soccer.

“Bye Momo,” Aang whispered as he grabbed his backpack. His cat had claimed Aang’s now vacant, pre-heated pillow.

It was a peaceful bike ride to the athletics facilities. It was freezing outside; a pristine layer of frost glazed over the grass and Aang could easily see his breath as he pedaled. Thankfully, only his cheeks were cold. He was grateful that he had chosen to wear so many layers, as well as the gloves Katara had gotten him. After grabbing his equipment out of the men’s soccer locker room, Aang headed out for the field. Technically, it was too early to be out there so he’d have to jump the fence (easy for him) to get onto the turf, and the goals were kept on a padlock system that the players all knew (very convenient).

It was a common sight to see a soccer player always out practicing. Aang knew a lot of the guys would play pick-up games at night since none of the winter sports needed the field, but as the weather had gotten colder they shifted inside. He expected to have the whole turf to himself this morning.

To his great surprise, there was a figure out on the turf firing shots into one of the soccer goals.

Aang deftly hopped the fence and walked closer to the mystery man. Who was up this early? The sun was barely out. 

Oh. That’s who.

“Good morning, Zuko,” Aang called.

“Agh!” Zuko -- who apparently had _not_ noticed Aang’s approach -- shouted and flinched in surprise. There was a look of shock on his face and his eyes were blown wide, the scarred one less so.

“Sorry,” Aang apologized, dropping his backpack next to Zuko’s. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s fine,” Zuko grumbled, smoothing out his top sweatshirt. He was even more bundled-up than Aang. Aang vaguely remembered Zuko came from a very warm climate.

“Mind if I shoot around with you?” Aang asked. He pulled his own ball out of his bag, and looked forward at the goal. Zuko had brought out one of the team’s ball bags, so soccer balls were strewn all over the field; some were in the goal and more were not.

Zuko made a hesitant noise at first, then a grouchy affirmative. “... hmph.”

“Great!” Aang smiled. The two men continued to kick around in silence, Aang running around all over as he chased down his one single ball.

Zuko looked at him quizzically before realizing what Aang was doing. “You can use some of the other balls,” he offered, kicking the one at his feet over to Aang.

“Thanks,” Aang said, accepting the ball smoothly. The sun continued to rise as the two played in silence, time passed, and the rays of light glinting off the morning frost began to grow dimmer and fewer. The sun was now wholly visible over the horizon.

“So, are you always up this early?” Aang asked, trying to make conversation.

“Yeah,” Zuko answered softly, “I rise with the sun usually. I have a hard time sleeping.”

Aang’s mind briefly flashed to their chance encounter in Pathik’s office. Judging by the grimace on Zuko’s face, he might’ve recalled it too.

“I didn’t tell anyone, by the way,” Aang said, “About running into you at Doctor Pathik’s.”

Zuko turned to give him a look mixed with gratitude and surprise. “You didn’t?”

“Of course,” Aang said, “Your reasons for being there are your own. I would never violate your privacy like that.”

Zuko glanced down to the ground and back to Aang. “Thank you,” he said, sounding more genuine than Aang would’ve thought possible. “That’s more than my sister would’ve done.” 

Aang nodded. “You have a sister?”

“Yeah,” Zuko said. Aang noticed his gloved hands clenched into fists. “We have a … complicated relationship.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Aang said honestly. He sat down on the turf, the sun having thankfully evaporated off any frosty wetness. Aang began stretching out his legs while looking up at Zuko. “Is it the same with your dad too?”

Zuko shot him an angry and demanding look. _How did …?_

“Sokka told me about the locker room incident,” Aang explained. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for the game, and I’m sorry I let everyone down when they needed me.”

Zuko had the decency to look at the ground ashamed. “I’m sorry for what I said. My uncle helped me realize I was out of line.”

“It’s okay,” Aang said. “Are things with your father bad?”

“You could say that …” Zuko stared off into the distance for a minute before refocusing sharply on Aang.

“Why are you asking all these questions?” Zuko snapped. “Why are you even listening to me?”

Aang’s head flinched backwards and he raised his open hands defensively. “Easy, Zuko. I’m just trying to be your friend.”

“Well I don’t need one,” Zuko sneered. He was now visibly angry and a nearby soccer ball made an easy target. Aang watched as it sailed far left of the goal post. Zuko made another frustrated grunt.

Aang slowly rose to his feet, the chill in his joints making them difficult to move. He quickly collected his ball and packed up his things.

“You know, you remind me of my friend, Kuzon,” Aang said, meeting Zuko’s amber glare with grey calmness. “He’s had a hard life too. But he and I, we would get in so much trouble together; nothing else would matter. Being friends made us feel less alone. I think you could use a friend.”

Aang held his breath. Zuko’s only response was to turn his back to Aang and walk away.

Aang sighed. “I guess not,” he mumbled sadly, watching the other man’s figure get smaller. He slung his backpack over his shoulder, glanced back once last time, and took off to find a hot shower.

* * *

“So are you ready for your vacation?” Katara asked excitedly. She reached over the dining hall table to adjust the collar of Aang’s pullover.

“Yeah!” Aang smiled. “It’ll be nice to have some time with Roku.” 

Roku and Aang had recently grown closer; Aang went over to his house multiple times a day for Appa, and Roku had also been serving as the executor of Gyatso’s estate. Katara didn’t know all the details, but the professor had volunteered to help Aang handle a lot of the legal paperwork he was now facing. For winter break, Roku was traveling out of the country to launch some research study, and he had invited Aang to join him. They had even got approval for Appa and Momo to go along as well. This was to be Aang’s first holiday without Gyatso and Katara was grateful he would be with someone for it.

“Are you excited to see your dad?” Aang asked. Just the thought made Katara’s heart flutter with excitement.

“Yes!” she grinned. “It’s been so long.“

Aang took a sip of his tea. “When will you and Sokka leave?”

“Monday,” Katara clarified. “It’s going to be so boring this weekend without you around.”

“Hey, at least you’re done with your finals,” Aang pointed out. Katara had just finished her last exam and had met Aang in the dining hall afterwards to finally relax. 

The campus had grown progressively emptier over the past several days of finals week, and now it felt almost barren. There were very few students left. Katara actually appreciated how it felt more private now, with just her and Aang having a whole wing of the dining hall to themselves.

“Thank the spirits,” Katara groaned. “I don’t want to see another chemical equation for months.”

Aang chuckled, then smiled in greeting to someone behind Katara. Before she had a chance to turn around, Aang spoke.

“Hey, Sokka,” he greeted. “Hi, Yue.”

Sokka sat down next to Aang holding a plate piled high with bacon leftover from brunch. Aang made a silent face at the pile of greasy meat.

“Hi Aang, hi Katara,” Yue greeted, sitting next to the other woman. Sokka had been dating the junior for about a month now, and Katara liked her well enough. She was very pretty, her white hair contrasting beautifully against her dark skin, and she always wore the most fashionable outfits. Based on her endless supply of outfits and accessories, she clearly came from money.

Initially, Sokka had expressed his concern to Katara that he wouldn’t be enough for her, but as their love had grown his worries had faded. If he still felt that way, he no longer thought of it enough to bring it up to Katara. He had fallen fast and hard for Yue, to the point where he was clearly dreading leaving for break. Katara tried not to show her jealously over their deep emotional connection.

“I love bacon days …” Sokka interrupted her thoughts, practically drooling over his food.

“Sokka, don’t be gross,” Katara rolled her eyes.

Sokka waved Katara off and mumbled something incoherent, his mouth already shoved full of food. Yue giggled.

Katara redirected her attention to Aang. “Did you finish packing yet?”

Aang smiled sheepishly. “Technically … no?” He scratched at the back of his neck.

“Aang!” Katara admonished. “Your flight leaves tonight!”

“It’s okay,” Aang said. “I have plenty of time. Plus, all I need is clothes really.” It was true, Aang was not one for many worldly possessions. His wardrobe was simple and plain, his room was fairly bare of decor, and his phone had already been beaten to hell. Not that he would really need it for the next several weeks anyways, as the places he and Roku were traveling barely had any cell service.

“Do you need a ride by the way?” Sokka asked between bites.

“Nah, I should be okay,” Aang said. “I have to go to Roku’s to get Appa anyways, so he’ll just drive us to the airport from there.”

“Suit yourself,” Sokka shrugged, taking another massive bite of bacon, this time sandwiched between a biscuit.

“Katara’s right though, I actually should go pack,” Aang said, rising to his feet. “Bye everyone!”

“Gd’bur Nng!” Sokka grunted through his bacon.

“Enjoy your trip,” Yue smiled, her goodbye much more intelligible than her boyfriend’s.

“I’ll walk with you,” Katara offered. They both pulled on their jackets, scooped up their dishes, and deposited them in the dishrack on their way out of the dining hall.

“So how are you doing?” Katara asked as they walked along, shoulder-to-shoulder.

“I’m good actually,” Aang replied, holding onto his backpack straps. “Doctor Pathik has been very helpful.”

“I’m glad,” Katara smiled softly.

“How are you feeling about going home?” Aang asked.

“Good!” Katara replied automatically. “I mean, I’m really excited to see my dad. It’s been so long … I think I’m a little nervous too.”

“That’s completely normal,” Aang soothed. “I imagine he’s nervous to see you and Sokka too.”

“Yeah,” Katara agreed, one hand playing with her braid. “Well, I need to run to the package center before they close. Sokka will never let me live it down if I forget his holiday present here.”

“I guess this is goodbye then,” Aang said, coming to a halt.

“I guess so,” Katara turned to face him. They now stood a few feet apart, both unsure of how to proceed.

“I hope you and Sokka have a great time with your dad,” Aang said earnestly. “I probably won’t have any cell signal while I’m gone, but I’ll make sure I bring you back something nice to make up for it.”

Katara smiled. “I hope you have a good trip with Roku too,” Katara said. There was a pregnant pause before Katara decided to fling herself into a hug goodbye around him. Aang returned it with equal enthusiasm. It took a few moments for them to break apart, but Katara didn’t read into it.

“Bye, Katara,” Aang gave her his classic goofy, smug smile as he walked backwards away from her.

“Bye, Aang,” Katara said, feeling the strangest mixture of sadness and excitement all at once.

* * *

There was a knock on Katara’s door. She looked up at it in surprise, almost having finished a massive cleaning of her dorm room. Her and Sokka were set to leave in a few hours to drive back home, and she wanted to have an immaculate room to return to after the holidays.

“Yeah?” she yelled.

“It’s me,” said Sokka's voice.

Katara rushed over to let him in. “What’s up?”

“Hey,” Sokka said, looking somber. “You got a second?”

“Yeah,” Katara said, gesturing for Sokka to come in.

Her heart raced. Had something happened with him and Yue? He looked heartbroken.

“I just got off the phone with Gran Gran,” Sokka said.

Katara’s heart skipped a beat. “Is everything okay?”

“Dad’s not coming,” Sokka looked at her with defeat in his eyes. “His unit got caught in an ambush yesterday. He’s fine but he missed his transport home.”

Katara felt like someone had just knocked her in the chest with a boulder.

“Gran Gran and Pakku are still at Oasis Springs on their honeymoon,” Sokka continued. “She said we could come spend the holidays down there—“

“— crashing Gran Gran and Pakku’s honeymoon?” Katara repeated. A rather nauseating image of her former club swim coach and her grandmother all lovey together intruded into her mind. “Gross, no.”

“I checked and the tickets there are super expensive too,” Sokka finished. “I’m sorry, Katara.”

“So does that mean we’re on our own for the holidays then?” Katara felt tears start to well in her eyes. “Of course it does.”

“I’m sad about Dad too,” Sokka said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “But we’ve still got each other. Yue invited us both to spend the holidays with her family. I think we should go.”

Katara knew it was a generous and kind offer, but she didn’t care. Sokka would get to spend the holidays with his girlfriend, Gran Gran would be busy enjoying her honeymoon, and Aang would be halfway around the world with Roku. For the first time in months, she felt so alone.

“Fine,” Katara snapped, shrugging his hand off of her. “I need to go run some errands.”

“Katara --” Sokka protested after her, but she was already gone.

* * *

It turned out Yue’s family lived less than a half-hour away from campus, in one of the wealthy boroughs of Republic City. It wasn’t an unpleasant holiday experience by any means; the food was homey and delicious, the family’s staff took care of everything, and there was even a new sense of kinship formed upon discovering Hakoda and Arnook had once served together. 

Even with all of that, Katara still found herself miserable. Yue’s family was overly formal so Katara felt on edge the entire time, and Sokka was too busy trying to impress Arnook and woo Yue to spend much time with his sister. Being stuck inside that palace of a house was going to drive Katara insane, so she excused herself to go run to the grocery store for some fresh air.

Katara took her sweet time finding all the ingredients she needed for her sea prune dish, but it still felt like she had to return to her hosts all too soon. She sighed and shifted her groceries in her arm, turning a sharp corner around the side of Sokka’s truck, only to smack into something hard … and tall … and handsome.

“Sorry,” Katara blurted out, kneeling down to snatch her scattered groceries up off the road salt-covered parking lot.

“No worries,” a smooth voice replied. Katara looked up again, for more than a split-second this time, to see a rather dashing man looking back at her. He had sweet brown eyes and a devilishly charming grin plastered on his face. “I’m Jet. And you are …”

Katara blushed immediately. “Katara.”

“Nice to meet you, Katara.” Spirits, that man’s voice sounded like butter and danger all at the same time.

“Thanks,” Katara said as he handed her the last of her fallen groceries, a carton of eggs.

She rose to her feet, opening the eggs to inspect them. “Oh no,” Katara said, looking at the multiple cracked shells bleeding yolk inside. “They’re all cracked.”

“You’re kidding,” Jet said. “Here, let me replace them.” He motioned over his shoulder at the motorcycle behind him.

“Oh no, I couldn’t …” Katara stammered. She looked back up at him and now that they were both standing, Katara realized he was _tall_.

“I insist,” Jet dismissed. “Let me make it up to you.” He quickly walked over to the motorcycle and opened up the storage bag on the side. Katara glanced from the motorcycle to his black leather jacket to his dense black boots.

“Is this your motorcycle?” she asked in wonder.

“Sure is,” he smirked. “Ever ridden one?”

Katara shook her head no.

“Here you go.” Jet held out his fresh carton of eggs.

“Thanks,” Katara said, taking a hold of the package, “You don’t have to.”

“So you swim for the college?” Jet asked, motioning to the logo on Katara’s jacket.

“Yeah,” Katara said. “I’m on the team.”

“Swimmer, huh? Very nice,” Jet ran a hand through his wild, fluffy hair.

“How about you?” Katara asked, setting her grocery bag into the bed of Sokka’s truck. Katara thanked her lucky spirits that it was below freezing out, which meant there was no rush to get the food back to Yue’s parents’ place -- and no rush to say goodbye to this charming stranger.

‘Nah, I could never afford college,” Jet said nonchalantly. “I’m working as a cook currently. But that’s not really the dream.”

“What is the dream then? I’ve got time.” 

Jet slung his arm over the side of Sokka’s truck bed, and a few moments later Katara leaned against the truck’s side too.

“Me and some of my co-workers have a band,’ Jet explained. “We call ourselves the Freedom Fighters.”

“Cool name,” Katara said.

Jet nodded in agreement. “We actually have a gig on New Year’s Eve. You should come, if you and your boyfriend don’t have plans.”

“Oh, I don’t have a boyfriend!” Katara replied too quickly. Her cheeks flushed red.

“Good to know,” Jet smiled smugly. “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a truck girl, though.” He slapped the side of Sokka’s truck.

“Oh, this old thing is my brother’s,” Katara explained.

Jet nodded. “Holidays with the family?”

“Actually, it’s just me and my brother this year,” Katara said sadly. “Our dad is overseas and our mother was killed when we were little.” She didn’t know why the words were leaving her mouth so freely, but it just felt so nice to have someone to talk to.

“I’m so sorry, Katara,” Jet said. “My parents both died when I was eight.”

“That must've been so hard for you,” Katara said, her voice laden with empathy. “I'm so sorry.”

Jet glanced away into the distance. “Yeah. I’ve carved a life for myself, but it hasn’t been easy. I’d love to hold those bastards responsible some day.”

Katara felt the familiar flames of rage and loss in her throat. “Me too ...”

“I like your necklace,” Jet commented, turning back to look at her with his piercing eyes.

“Thanks,” Katara touched the stone instinctively. “It was my mother’s.”

“Very nice,” Jet said. “Well, I need to get going. If you ever want to try out a motorcycle sometime, I’d love to take you for a ride.”

Katara pretended not to hear how much that sentence was practically dripping in sex. The aggressive blush across her cheeks most certainly gave her away though.

“I--I’ll keep that in mind,” she stuttered.

“It was very nice meeting you, Katara,” Jet said, walking backwards to grab his helmet off his handlebars. “I hope I’ll see you soon. Come to Pao’s Pub, nine o’clock, New Year’s Eve.”

“Sounds good,” Katara smiled, waving goodbye. Jet flicked the visor of his helmet down and flipped his kickstand up. He brought two fingers up to his forehead in goodbye and sped off just as quickly as they had met.

* * *

Over the next several weeks, Katara learned several things:

1\. Jet’s bandmates were named Smellerbee, Sneers, and Longshot. They were an odd group, but fairly talented musicians.

2\. Sokka insisted on going with Katara to Jet’s gig. He was grumpy the whole time, had a metaphorical pissing content with Jet afterwards, which Yue thankfully diffused before Katara could strangle Sokka.

3\. Sokka threw an even larger hissy fit when Katara caught a ride with Jet on his motorcycle, heading back to a small party at Jet’s house after his gig

4\. Jet and his friends loved to party. Katara was no stranger to binge drinkers, being a college athlete and all, but it seemed a bit different in the small, quiet space of Jet’s apartment. They smoked a lot of weed too, which Katara respectfully declined to partake in. They also kept weirdly late hours, but Katara actually enjoyed the excuse to sleep in all morning and be out all night, making it easy to avoid Sokka and Yue’s family.

5\. Jet was a very talented kisser. He was also very talented at some _other things_ , which made Katara realize just how subpar her high school boyfriend Haru had been.

6\. Sokka did _not_ like Jet. At all. It made Katara like him a bit more.

7\. Winter Break passed much faster when she started to spend every day with Jet. She had to go back to campus early to resume her swim season, but since Suki wouldn’t be back until the rest of the student body returned, Jet started to stay in Katara’s dorm on his off days. (If anyone was around to see it, Sokka could be seen almost popping a blood vessel in the freshman dorm parking lot whenever a certain black and orange motorcycle was found parked within.)

* * *

Yue had chosen to remain with her parents for the remaining few weeks, but Sokka had gone back with Katara to campus after the holidays. He had started a job staffing and cleaning the campus athletic facilities. It ended up being rather convenient. The end of his shift corresponded with the end of Katara’s swim practice so he could give her a ride home -- thankfully sparing her exhausted legs from having to walk back.

“Do you want to go get dinner?” Sokka asked, glancing over at his sister in the passenger’s seat.

“No, Jet’s staying over tonight,” Katara said as nonchalantly as possible.

“Katara, you’re spending a lot of time with that guy,” Sokka warned.

“He’s my _boyfriend_ , Sokka,” Katara said.

“He’s not a good guy, Katara,” Sokka said. “You barely even know him. And he’s a twenty-four year old dating a freshman, it’s weird.”

“Jet’s had a hard life,” Katara defended. “And I _do_ know him, thank you very much.”

“Katara, he’s an asshole and he doesn’t treat you right,” Sokka stated. “He never apologizes to you. I don’t care about his sob story, having dead parents isn’t an excuse to treat people poorly.”

“He’s not like that,” Katara protested. “You’ve always been jealous of him.”

“I am not jealous of him! He’s manipulative and controlling and reckless,” Sokka rattled off.

“Oh, really?” Katara spat. “You and Yue were practically glued at the hip for weeks, but if I do the same thing with my boyfriend, suddenly it’s not okay?”

“I don’t like the way he talks to you,” Sokka said. “And he’s always drinking or getting high every time I see him on social media, it’s not healthy.”

“I don’t need to defend myself or my relationship to you,” Katara seethed.

Sokka sighed loudly. “Look,” he said, his voice soberingly calm, “Just remember I’m only a phone call away if you need anything. You’re my sister and I don’t want anyone to treat you poorly.”

“Thanks,” Katara said coldly, but it was clear her immediate anger had diffused as well. They rode the rest of the way in silence, the tension stifling.

After finding out about Sokka’s comments on their relationship, Jet convinced Katara to stay with him instead of on campus for the remainder of the break. He only lived twenty minutes away, and would give her rides to practice as needed. Somehow in exchange she became his cook, his cleaner, and his comforter during his bad nights. 

Deep down she knew Sokka had a point; this didn’t feel right. But drunk on a harsh cocktail of loneliness, Jet’s manipulation, and desire to spite her brother (and father), Katara ended up going along with it for longer than she knew she should have.

Then, five days before the start of the spring semester, Sokka got a text.

_At Jet’s. Please come get me. ASAP._

That night was the fastest Sokka’s ever driven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This is the only chapter of Jet/Katara. The next relationship Katara will be in is with Aang.)  
> Also, Toph comes next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6: the Blind Bandit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Fight Night ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mild underage drinking, two F-bombs and other cursing, violence (fist fighting for entertainment)
> 
> Notes:  
> 808 = the party house that some of the senior soccer players reside at. Aang, Sokka, and Katara often go here to party on weekends  
> Also, note that collegiate athletes are typically prohibited from gambling on most things by the overarching collegiate association that governs them

“Aang’s home!” Katara announced excitedly, clutching her phone in her hand.

Sokka looked up from the book he was reading, sprawled across his bed. Katara was sunk into the bean bag chair in front of his TV.

“Is he coming here?” Sokka asked.

A knock on Sokka’s door answered his question.

Katara darted up onto her feet. She quickly pulled the door open, expecting to see a pair of familiar grey eyes to greet her. But they weren’t there. Instead, Katara found herself staring at a pair of lips pulled back into a soft smile.

“Aang …?” Katara’s eyes grew wide as her head tilted back to find his eyes. There they were.

“Hi, Katara,” Aang’s voice rumbled.

“Oh spirits …” Katara mumbled, taking in the sight of him again. “Aang, you grew! A lot …”

“A couple inches, yeah,” Aang confirmed. He gestured down to his ankles, which his pants no longer covered properly.

“I’ll have to take you shopping for new pants …” Katara said to herself softly, her head still not wrapped around her friend’s new stature.

By now, Sokka’s attention had been thoroughly peaked. 

“Ack!” he squeaked, realizing Katara wasn’t just being dramatic. He darted over to Aang, standing as tall as possible with his chest puffed out.

“Katara, I’m still taller right?” he asked frantically, “Right?” His hand flittered back and forth between the top of his head and Aang’s.

Katara just leaned back and grinned smugly. “Not even close.”

Sokka groaned. The noise was enough to pique the interest of Momo, who’s head darted out from Aang’s jacket. The cat promptly leaped out onto Sokka’s chest.

“Hi, Momo,” Sokka started to pet the cat as he sulked back over to his bed. “At least I’m still taller than you.”

“Come in,” Katara gestured. Aang hopped up onto the other bed and Katara returned to her bean bag chair, re-wrapping herself in a blanket. It was the same blanket Aang and Katara had shared outside one night a couple months ago. 

“How was your trip? Tell me everything!” Katara prompted.

Aang’s face lit up. “It was awesome! I got to try so much new food, and Appa and Momo loved it. I went hiking and roamed around some of the towns while Roku was working. And I met some really nice people.”

“It sounds lovely,” Katara said. “I’m glad you had such a good time.”

“Thanks,” Aang said, “How was the holiday with your d--?”

Sokka made a frantic motion in the background.

Aang clamped his mouth shut, confusion and alarm flush across his face.

“Actually, we spent it with Yue’s family,” Katara said, voice cold with disappointment.

Aang frowned as he quickly tried to think of a change in subject. “How’s swimming going?”

Katara seemed to perk up. “Really good! We won our last two meets. At this rate, we can hopefully clinch our spot in the postseason in a few weeks.”

“That’s awesome!” Aang flourished his arms grandly.

“Yeah,” Katara agreed. She then yawned. “Well, I should head to bed. It’s getting late and I have an eight-AM class tomorrow.”

Aang grimaced in sympathy. Katara didn’t sleep in as long as Sokka did, but Aang wouldn’t call either of them ‘morning people’.

“Gross,” Sokka said from behind her. “Chemistry?”

“Chemistry,” Katara confirmed.

“See, that’s why I didn’t go pre-med,” Sokka said, sticking his chin out in an aire of mock superiority. “Nothing interferes with my sleep.”

“Sure, that’s why …” Katara rolled her eyes. Katara rose to her feet, and Aang bolted up too. He looked like he was about to blurt out something.

“Hey Aang, want to play some video games?” Sokka asked quickly, halting the other man in his tracks.

“Oh, uh, sure,” Aang said. His eyes darted back-and-forth between Katara and Sokka.

“Goodnight, boys,” Katara said, already out the door.

Aang sighed and plopped back down, shoulders hunched.

“Something on your mind?” Sokka raised one eyebrow.

“Nah,” Aang brushed it off. He quickly righted himself and broke out into a grin. “So, what did you want to play?”

“Actually, we need to talk,” Sokka said somberly. He shifted Momo from his chest to the foot of the bed and sat up over the mattress edge.

“What’s wrong?” Aang asked, concern etched into his face. “Is this about your dad?”

“Partially,” Sokka said. “Dad missed his transport and wasn’t able to make it back for the holidays.”

Aang frowned, his eyes looking at the other man tenderly. “I’m sorry, Sokka.”

“It’s okay,” Sokka stared into his lap. “It sucked, but Yue’s family was nice enough to host us.”

“That’s good!” Aang said. “Are things going well with you and her?”

“Yeah,” Sokka smiled softly, but it quickly fell off his face. “Katara took Dad’s absence pretty hard. I don’t have to tell you how difficult it is to not be with the people you love for the holidays. Dad was supposed to be there for us, but he wasn’t.”

Aang just watched him, listening patiently.

“Katara met someone while we were staying at Yue’s,” Sokka continued. “His name’s Jet.”

Aang’s heart sunk into his stomach.

“Things got really bad and toxic between them,” Sokka explained. “A few days ago, she tried to break up with him. It didn’t go well. She texted me to come get her and I did, but he chased after us.”

Aang’s stomach now felt set to devour itself.

“Anyways, the cops got involved and he’s out of the picture now,” Sokka said. “Katara’s got a brave face on, but she’s hurting and she needs our support right now.”

Aang nodded firmly. His jaw was clenched tighter than a steel vice.

“I know how you look at Katara,” Sokka informed him. “I’m not clueless; I know you have a soft spot for her.”

Aang blushed but said nothing, knowing there was nothing strong enough to support any denial of that fact. Not that he even wanted to deny it. Katara was an incredible person -- kind, passionate, beautiful. Of course she held a small piece of his heart.

“But regardless of how you feel about her, the last thing she needs is to get caught up in anything else right now,” Sokka warned.

Aang knew Sokka was right, but hearing it still made his heart sting with disappointment.

“You’re my friend and I think you’re a great guy, but I’m not going to let anyone hurt my sister again, even if it’s unintentional,” Sokka stated.

“Of course,” Aang said. His voice felt like sandpaper in his throat. “Thank you for telling me.”

Sokka grunted and nodded. “That’s all I had to say. You still interested in some video games?”

“Actually, I think I should go unpack,” Aang said tiredly. “The time zone difference is messing me up a bit.”

“Okay,” Sokka said. “Goodnight.” Aang plucked Momo up and made his exit.

Aang didn’t know how to feel. Katara had gone through something painful and he hadn’t been there. He felt guilty; he should’ve been here to help. But he couldn’t have known … the siblings were supposed to have spent the break back in their hometown. Sure, Aang had a soft spot for Katara. He was of the mindset that she had one for him too, but maybe not. That was a very disappointing thought. He thought the world of her -- did she even ever think of him? Everything felt so very uncertain now. This wasn’t the homecoming he had fantasized about. And he certainly didn’t feel prepared to start a new semester tomorrow.

When he got back to his room, Aang released Momo. The cat hopped right onto his bed and curled up on the pillow.

“Good idea, buddy,” Aang told the cat. He shuffled over to the bed, intentionally ignoring the still-packed bags, and began to undress. Teo was already back and unpacked, but had left with his friends in search of a late second dinner. In his absence, the room felt peaceful and yet lonely in only the way solitude provided. Aang was grateful -- he was already so tired from his trip, and now his emotions had been tossed into a turbulent tide.

“Hopefully sleep will help,” Aang wished aloud. Momo meowed a complaint as Aang plopped face-down into his bed. Finally in the comfort of his own room once more, Aang’s eyes quickly shut as he drifted off in search of sleep.

_ When the fuck did things get so complicated …? _

* * *

“Guys!” Sokka exclaimed, bursting through the door of Katara’s dorm room. “Guess what!”

“Sokka!” Katara chided. “You made me mess up my makeup!” She was over at her vanity, leaning in towards the mirror. Sure enough, a dab of mascara now rested under her eyebrow. She ignored her brother’s presence, instead beginning to search for a makeup wipe to fix the consequence of his brutish arrival.

“Sorry,” Sokka said sheepishly.

“What is it?” Aang asked excitedly. He was lounging on Katara’s bed, snacking on some vegetable-based chips that Sokka once called ‘a sin against humanity’. Unlike Katara, Aang was already ready to go out and had just been relaxing while keeping her company. To Katara’s credit though, his sweatshirt-and-joggers combo was significantly less effort than her whole fashionable ensemble. He was, however, sporting Katara’s holiday gift to him: a knitted red hat that would certainly keep his exposed head warm tonight.

“We’re not going straight to 808,” Sokka informed them.

“Why not?” Katara asked, now focused on touching up her hair.

“Because …” Sokka said dramatically, “We’re going to Fight Night!”

“Fight Night?” Aang and Katara spoke at the same time.

“Yeah!” Sokka replied. “So it’s kept on the down-low, but there’s a frat that hosts a Fight Night once a month. Since it’s everyone’s first weekend back, they’re holding it tonight. I was able to get us on the list. I already paid the entrance fees.”

“So what exactly happens at Fight Night?” Aang asked.

“Fighting!” Sokka flexed his fists in excitement. “The frat has this hierarchy of previous fighters and a reigning champion, and occasionally a new challenger. They don’t have to be in the frat, but a lot of the guys who participate are. The new challenger fights their way up the hierarchy; whoever wins moves onto the next round.”

“What are they even fighting over?” Katara said, her voice laden with judgment and annoyance.

“That’s the best part!” Sokka said. “Whoever wins the final match versus the reigning champ takes home a cut of the frat’s profits from bettors.”

“Sokka, wouldn’t this count as gambling?” Aang asked hesitantly.

“The crowd can, technically, bet on each match. But we don’t have to,” Sokka said. “The entrance fee is just for a seat to cover house expenses. It’s BYOB also, but Yue helped me stock us up for the semester, so that shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Sounds good to me!” Aang said. “Katara?”

“I’m in too,” she nodded.

“Great!” Sokka grinned, slamming a fifth of cheap vodka onto Katara’s desk. “Now, let’s pregame and let’s go!”

* * *

Turns out, Fight Night is a very aptly named event. They arrive at a stereotypical frat house, albeit a bit on the smaller side. Two guys are standing out front dressed in all black, arms crossed.

“Names?” one of them asked. Sokka rattled off their names as the bouncer checked his clipboard. The back of it was covered with stickers of cheap brand-name beers.

“Hey there, cutie,” the other bouncer shot Katara a flirty look. Aang glared at the guy over Katara’s head. Not that she needed any rescuing though, as she sent a scathing look at the bouncer that caused him to take a step back.

“Have a night nice,” the bouncer mumbled ashamedly.

“Head up the stairs to inside, make a left down to the basement. Don’t wander anywhere else,“ the clipboard guy instructed.

“Thank you,” the three of them all said.

The inside of the frat house was gross and littered with beer cans. The grand architecture was severely damaged and neglected after years of partying. They had erected barriers with rope to help guide people to the basement stairs. The basement itself looked fairly similar as the rest of the house. It was very dark, heavily scented with beer, and incredibly hot and humid given all the people crammed into the space. Poorly constructed wooden bleachers lined the room, a large empty area in the middle. The far wall had a podium instead of seats, and on the wall was a piece of spray-painted plywood which read ‘ER6 Fight Night’.

“Here,” Sokka said, pointing at the last empty seats. He pulled on the arm of Katara who then pulled Aang along in a chain until they were seated.

“Can you see okay?” Aang asked Katara, noticing the person in front of her was rather tall.

“Not really,” Katara said.

“Switch seats with me,” Aang offered.

“Thanks,” Katara said, quickly sliding herself over Aang’s lap to get to his other side.

“No problem,” Aang gulped, red as a tomato. Thank the spirits it was so dark in there.

All of a sudden, green and yellow lights flashed all over.

“Woah…” Aang glanced around to try and follow a particular beam, but they moved too fast for his eyes to keep up. 

The lights halted abruptly, but the room stayed illuminated in a green glow.

“Welcome everyone …” A loud, deep voice yelled. “To Fight Night Number 6!” A rather dense man was now standing on the podium, hands cupped around his mouth.

“I am the host, Xin Fu,” he boomed. “Tonight’s rules are simple: There are five rounds. The round ends when one opponent is forced out of the center ring. The match is won by point total, knockout, or the opponent’s concession. Boxing, wrestling, MMA, and anything in-between is all fair game.”

Sokka made some excited chirp.

“Round One tonight will be the man known only as ‘the Boulder’ versus our own brother, ‘the Hippo’,” Xin Fu announced. He gestured to the two occupied corners of the center arena. Each fighter stood up from their stools, shirtless, and began to pace around. Xin Fu hopped down from the pedestal and motioned for them to shake hands. 

The fighters did so, and Xin Fu yelled “Begin!” as he backed out of the way.

The crowd started cheering immediately as the Boulder began whaling his fists at the Hippo. Many spectators began to text in bets to the resident bettor, a man standing in the corner by a whiteboard. He was frantically copying numbers off his phone onto the whiteboard. Not more than a minute into the fight, the Boulder landed a devastating punch to the Hippo’s jaw, knocking the larger man out cold. Two of the staff quickly rushed in to clear the unconscious man, while the Boulder pumped his fist into the air in victory.

“Yeah!” Sokka cheered. 

“This guy’s a fucking tank,” Sokka informed Aang.

“Yeah,” Aang agreed. “I think he could make it to the finals, for sure.”

“This is just going to be a bunch of drunk frat guys beating each other up, isn’t it?” Katara mused, rolling her eyes.

“That’s what I paid for!” Sokka said cheerily.

The next few fights take longer, but the Boulder proceeds to win them all and advance further. At this point, Sokka is standing and cheering fanatically. Katara is completely checked out, and Aang is somewhere in between. He’s still watching the fights but at one point Katara had leaned her head against his shoulder and left it there, and it’s the only thing Aang’s mind can truly focus on. Her head is so warm, and he can feel the thin, dense line of her hair loop against his arm. He breathed shallowly, still as a rock, not wanting any drastic motion to cause her to move. If only there was a way to calm his heartbeat down too.

“You okay?” he whispered to her, glancing over.

“Mhm-hmm,” she hummed, eyes drooping. “Just tired. I had to wake up at six this morning since our swim meet was away.”

Aang nodded. “Yeah, that’s early.”

A deafening wave of cheers redirected Aang’s attention. Xin Fu was now back in the ring, holding the Boulder’s fist aloft. The fighter was covered in a heavy layer of sweat, and he had blood seeping down from his eyebrow and nose.

“There you have it,” Xin Fu announced. “The Boulder will move on to the championship match!”

“This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for,” Xin Fu announced. “The Boulder versus our reigning champion, the Blind Bandit …!”

All three of them followed the movement of the spotlight over to the basement entrance. There stood the figure of a short, stocky girl. With one hand, she held onto the arm of a smaller boy who wore half an empty 30-pack beer can box on his head like a helmet. In her other hand was a folded up cane.

She wore baggy green shorts and a white tank top which displayed thick, powerful arms. A green cape was draped over her shoulders and a massive championship belt hung around her waist. Even from a distance, it looked nicer than anything else in the frat house. They must’ve really splurged on the belt.

“She’s not really blind, is she?” Katara whispered.

Aang’s eyes darted from the cane to the girl’s eyes. It was hard to see in the lighting, but they seemed lighter and paler than expected. “I think she is.”

“What the hell?” Sokka scoffed. “She doesn’t stand a chance against the Boulder.”

Clearly the Boulder thought similarly to Sokka. He grimaced as the girl stepped into the ring, hoisting the belt into the air before handing it off to one of the staff.

“The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a little blind girl,” he rumbled, his eyebrows furrowed and his lips frowning.

“What’s a matter?” she replied mockingly. “Scared of a little fight? Did your balls fall off or something?”

The Boulder grunted. “The Boulder is no longer conflicted.”

“Let’s do this,” the Blind Bandit replied. “I don’t need to see to kick your pansy ass. You’re going down.”

“Shake,” Xin Fu prompted. The Blind Bandit faced diagonally away from the Boulder, one hand outstretched. After a moment of hesitation, the Boulder shook it and dropped back into a boxing stance, fists protecting his face.

The Blind Bandit just stood still, hunched slightly, her right ear cocked in the direction of the Boulder.

“What is she doing …?” Aang wondered earnestly.

“Don’t be a little bitch,” The Blind Bandit goaded. She slapped her hand against her cheek. “First one’s free.”

“She’s not even trying to have a defensive stance,” Sokka added.

But she didn’t need one.

The Boulder let out a grunt of frustration and swung his fist like a missile towards the girl’s head. But it never made it there.

Right before he made contact, the Blind Bandit had caught his wrist at lightspeed. She gave it a quick, painful twist as her legs swept out one of his knees. He buckled and she took full advantage, somehow crumbling him onto the ground in a blur of green and white. When they stopped moving, the Blind Bandit had the man in a chokehold, her body wrapped like a cage around him.

The Boulder tried to move but she held him in place with precise pressure at his weakest points, and his face started to turn redder and redder. The crowd was cheering and yelling loudly, everyone on their feet. Had she really won without throwing a single punch? Without taking a single hit?

Yes, she had.

The Boulder’s hand pressed a series of three rapid taps onto the girl’s arm, and she released him. He remained on the ground, gasping and coughing, while she stood up and waved her arms in the air, reveling in the cheering of the crowd.

“There you have it folks,” Xin Fu announced. He set the championship belt back into the hands of the Blind Bandit, who promptly threw it over her shoulder and raised a fist in the air. Xin Fu grabbed it.

“Tonight’s Fight Night champion … The Blind Bandit!”

The crowd roared, deafening everyone packed into the room.

“Holy shit …” Katara said. Sokka couldn’t even make a sound, his jaw hanging almost to the floor.

“Woah …” is all Aang could muster up. “I wonder who she is …”

* * *

The rest of the night is disappointing after that. They go meet up with some friends and teammates to party, but nothing comes quite close to the excitement of the Blind Bandit instantly demolishing a man twice her size. When things started winding down, Sokka left to walk Yue to her apartment while Aang and Katara headed back for the dorm. The winter air was cold enough that the liquor in their blood did little to warm them up -- but as they would both discover, it was still enough to encourage a temper.

“So …” Aang trailed off. “How are you doing?”

“Fine,” Katara answered curtly. “How are you?”

Aang caught himself from sighing at her response. That wasn’t what he meant.

“No, I mean, like,” he fumbled. “Sokka told me about your dad.”

“Oh,” Katara crossed her arms over her chest. “Did Sokka open his mouth about anything else?”

“He … told me about Jet,” Aang admitted, trying -- and failing -- to keep the jealousy out of his voice.

Katara opened her mouth, an apology bubbling up in her throat. Then she remembered something her therapist told her once, and promptly clamped it shut. She didn’t owe him an apology -- she was her own person and she was allowed to do as she liked.

“What did Sokka tell you?” she asked coldly.

“Not much,” Aang said. “Just that over break, you started dating this guy named Jet and things ended badly recently.”

Katara laughed ruefully. “Of course he did.”

“I don’t want to over-step, but I just wanted you to know I’m here for you,” Aang said.

Katara gave him a questioning side glance. How surprisingly … mature of him.

“Thanks …” Katara said slowly, still surprised by the turn of events. “I don’t really want to talk about it right now. But when I am, I’ll let you know.”

Aang nodded stoically. “For what it’s worth … a part of me wishes I had stayed here for break.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” Katara said. “I wasn’t really that fun to be around.”

“I imagine it really hurt you, to hear your dad wasn’t coming,” Aang said.

“Yeah, it did. Look, Aang, I know you’re trying to help right now, but I don’t want to talk about it,” Katara snapped.

Aang flinched backwards, surprised by the icy edge in her voice. Katara looked away in guilt for a moment before turning back to meet his wounded eyes. She still wasn’t used to how high she needed to look now due to his new height.

“I’m sorry, Aang,” she apologized. “I know you’re just trying to help.”

“It’s okay,” Aang confessed. “It was partially selfish of me to ask.”

“Why?” Katara asked.

“I …” Aang fumbled for the right words. “I’m just …” 

_ Jealous. _

“... feeling left out.”

“You didn’t miss anything exciting,” Katara said.

“No, I know,” Aang said. “I just wonder, if I had stayed … would things have been different?”

“Are you talking about Jet?”

Aang’s silence was its own response.

“Look, I don’t owe you an apology,” Katara stated angrily. “I already spent the last six weeks defending myself to Sokka, I don’t need to defend myself to you too.”

“I know,” Aang seethed, “I wasn’t asking for one.”

“Then what  _ are _ you asking for?” Katara spat.

_ Why did you choose him? Why Jet? _

“Nothing,” Aang said bitterly.

“You’re my  _ friend _ , Aang,” Katara stated. “Two seconds ago you were all supportive of me, and now you’re judging me.”

“I--”

“I don’t need a savior,” Katara said. “I’m perfectly capable of making my own decisions and fighting my own battles.”

“I know!”

“Then why did you even bring this up?” Katara interrogated.

“Because I care about you!” Aang said. Katara just stared at him furiously and Aang felt his stinging heart wilt under the blows of her raging ocean eyes.

“I -- I do care,” Aang confessed quietly. “But … I think I let my personal feelings get in the way tonight. I’m sorry, Katara. It’s not my place to question your decisions, especially when you’re already hurting.”

“You do have my unwavering support,” Aang promised. “You’re my best friend, and that will always come first.”

“Thanks,” Katara said, her voice back to soothing calm. “I’m sorry too, for snapping at you.”

“Fiercer than a lion turtle’s bite,” Aang nudged her shoulder playfully.

“Oh hush,” Katara stuck her tongue out at him. “It was deserved.”

Aang let out a sigh so long and dramatic it was impossible to take seriously.

Okay, all was well. Right?

* * *

When Katara got home to her room, she felt about ready to cry. While everything with Aang was resolved during the course of their walk home, she couldn’t help but feel reduced to a swirling whirlpool of emotions.

“You okay?” Suki asked delicately, watching with concern as Katara began to wipe off her makeup before the tears spilt over.

“Long night,” Katara said, sniffling.

“Want to talk about it?” Suki offered.

_ No. Yes. I don’t know. Maybe.  _ Katara wasn’t sure. She was just so overwhelmed and feeling pulled in so many different directions and just needed to cry it out.

“Boys?” Suki guessed. 

“... I think Aang has a crush on me,” Katara admitted.

Suki popped up off her bed to sit on her desk, now fully in Katara’s view.

“And?” Suki asked. “I’m pretty sure he’s had a crush on you since day one.”

“Really?” Katara’s eyebrows flew up. She didn’t realize Aang had always felt like that. She had assumed it was some sort of new territorial thing sparked by the knowledge of her relationship with Jet. But her and Aang? Well … he was her best friend. She admired Aang often, and thought very highly of him, and he was very handsome, and now also very tall ...

“Katara?” Suki broke her trance. “Hello?”

“Sorry, what did you say?” she asked bashfully.

“Just curious if you felt the same way, but your impromptu daydream just answered that,” Suki answered.

Katara sighed, tone now somber again. “I don’t know, Suki. I’ve never really thought of Aang like that.” 

Not true. Maybe a few times, but it had always been in more of a day-dreaming way. Not a this-could-really-happen way.

“Do you still miss Jet?” Suki asked delicately.

“Hell no,” Katara said bitterly. “I regret that whole relationship so much. I can’t believe I ever trusted him.”

“But you’re still not over him,” Suki observed.

“...No,” Katara admitted. “How could I be? Things ended not even two weeks ago.”

“And so now the notion that your best friend may also like you …?”

“Is overwhelming, to say the least,” Katara said. “I’m hurt and upset and lost. Aang just made things so much more complicated.”

Suki hummed empathetically. “Well, I don’t think you’re going to get any clarity while being tipsy at two-AM. Some sleep will help.”

Katara sighed. “Yeah, that’s true … thanks, Suki.”

“No problem,” she replied. “Good luck.”

As Katara’s head hit the pillow, one thought rattled around in her head louder than any of the others:  _ When the fuck did things get so complicated …? _


	7. Chapter 7: Progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang and Toph's friendship begins. With the new addition to their group, the Gaang go out partying, only for the night to quickly get away from them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mention of character death (Yue), mention of fatal cancer prognosis, underage drinking, violence (fist fighting)
> 
> Rules of Slap Cup: a bunch of players stand around a table, which has a large cluster of plastic cups in the middle. Each cup is filled with a small amount of beer, except for one central cup which is filled to the brim (called the Bitch Cup). Two players start the game, each with an empty cup a few inches in front of them. The players both try and bounce a ping-pong ball off the table into the cup. Once they get the ball in the cup, they pass the cup to the person on their right. If a person gets the ball in on their first try, they can pass the cup to anyone, doesn't have to be the person to their right. Out of two competing people, if the person on the right gets the ball in their cup before the person on their left does, they slap away their left-neighbor's cup. The left-neighbor then has to chug the beer out of a new cup, and then uses that cup to try and get the pong ball into. This continues until all the cups in the central cluster disappear, leaving only the Bitch Cup remaining. Whoever's cup gets slapped away last (so there are no remaining slightly-filled cups to take from the center), that last person has to drink the Bitch Cup and the game is over.

* * *

“Hey Aang, can I ask a huge favor?” Teo’s voice chimed through the phone.

Aang looked ahead at the homework sprawled across his desk. Anything to avoid having to do _that_.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Aang replied.

“Great!” Teo said. “So you know how I usually go to the gym with my friend, Toph?”

“Uh-huh,” Aang confirmed.

“Well, I’ve got this thing tonight and I can’t make it to our usual time,” Teo said. “Are you willing to go to the workout in my place?”

Aang rubbed his sore shoulder muscles absentmindedly. “Do I have to do the workout with her?” he asked. For the past few weeks, the men’s soccer team had begun their off-season lifting routines. They were now in the gym three times a week, at six in the morning, being pushed through intense weight lifting routines and cardio finishers by the strength and conditioning staff. Between the early mornings and the physical rigor of it all, both Aang and Sokka had been having a brutal past few weeks. (The only upside was they were both noticeably bulkier as they quickly put on muscle -- Sokka’s chest now puffed his shirt out, and Aang’s arms had begun to fill in his sleeves. A small consolation for the pain.)

“Nah, you’re good,” Teo assured, “Toph’s blind, so all you need to do is just assist with picking out the weights she wants and spotting her.”

Aang exhaled in relief. “Okay, sounds easy enough.”

Teo chuckled like he knew a secret. “Great, thanks Aang! Meet her outside the weight room at five. She’ll be wearing a green shirt.”

“Sounds good.” Aang clicked his phone off to end the call and began to look for some suitable workout clothes.

* * *

“You must be Toph!” Aang said excitedly, walking over to the girl in front of him. 

She sat on a bench outside the weight room; she was wearing a green shirt with gold headphones hanging around her neck, and a cane between her hands. Her wrists were wrapped in black fabric, splattered with what Aang recognized as white chalk. A lifting belt was wrapped loosely around her waist and flat-soled lifting shoes were tied over her feet. Her arms and legs were thickened by muscle in a way that made Aang realize -- he was dealing with a mastered veteran.

“Who are you?” she asked with a tough tone that Aang wasn’t sure was contempt or bravado.

“I’m Aang,” he said, reaching a hand forward before quickly realizing the motion and snatching it back.

“Oh, Teo’s friend,” she said. Toph leaned her head back against the wall and popped her gum against her tongue. “He says you know what you’re doing.”

“I’m on the soccer team,” Aang said, “We just started lifting a few weeks ago, but I’ve learned a lot so far.”

“Good,” Toph smirked. “Let’s see if you can keep up.”

Unsure if he should be pleased or worried by her amused tone, he simply stepped forward and opened the door to the weight room. 

“Ready?” he asked, but Toph had already recognized the familiar metallic click and walked quickly past him. Aang couldn’t help but squint as she walked past him. Something about the way she moved seemed really … familiar.

“You know, you seem really familiar,” Aang said, watching curiously as Toph began chalking up her hands. “Do we know each other?”

“Well, your face doesn’t look familiar,” Toph said wryly, waving a hand in front of her eyes. Short, strong, blind -- then it clicked!

“Wait, are you the Blind Bandit?” Aang asked. “I saw your fight a few weeks ago; it was awesome!”

“That’s me,” Toph replied, stretching her arms back cockily. “Always nice to meet a fan.”

“How did you take the Boulder down so quickly?” Aang asked. “It’s like you knew exactly where he was going to strike.”

Toph cracked her neck. “If you can keep up with my workout, no mistakes, then maybe I’ll tell you my secret.”

Aang smiled. “Let’s do it.”

“Great,” Toph said, shoving her cane abruptly into Aang’s chest. He fumbled to grab it while she rattled off her plan. “So today is leg day, starting with hang cleans. Three warm-up sets, then I’ll go into my power progression. Afterwards, I’ll transition into back squats, then RDLs. Accessory work at the end. Before each exercise, I’ll tell you what weight I want on. Hopefully you can do basic addition -- make sure the totals are right so you’re not stiffing me a good, hard workout. Got it?”

Aang’s eyes were wide in fear. That was a lot of information to take in, and it sounded like there would only be more coming his way. Aang wiped his sweaty palms on the sides of his shorts.

“L-let’s do it.”

Aang had never been so glad to sit out of a workout. Toph was a _beast_. She lifted more than he could on pretty much every exercise, despite being almost a foot shorter. And her pace was insane too. She just hammered out each set of exercises, one after another, pushing and pushing and never braking for water or air. To Aang’s incredible relief, he didn’t mess up the math when getting any of Toph’s weights on the bar, and everything went pretty smoothly -- though he could practically feel her breathing down his neck whenever it was his turn to set up for her next set. For someone who took her time within each exercise, each motion, her aggressive overall pace meant the workout ended before Aang knew it.

“Done,” Toph said, panting while laying on the ground after her last set of planks. Aang quickly busied himself with putting away the plates she had him set her back. Who even planks with ninety pounds of weight on their back? Aang’s mind had been thoroughly blown.

“Alright, help me up and let’s get out of here,” Toph said. Not wasting a minute, Aang did just that.

“That was the most incredible lift I’ve ever seen. You ...” Aang trailed off in awe.

“ -- are the greatest badass you’ll ever meet.” Toph cracked her knuckles. “If you boys ever want to experience a real lift, do mine instead of whatever crap Jeong-Jeong has you doing.”

Aang paled at the idea of telling his intimidating -- and rather volatile -- strength and conditioning coach that his lifts weren’t hard enough. He wouldn’t survive whatever happened next, be it Jeong-Jeong incinerating glare or Toph’s lift. Better to avoid that scenario all together.

“So, will you tell me how you took down the Boulder so quickly?” Aang asked.

Toph scoffed. “He was barely even a challenge for an Olympian like myself.”

“Olympian?”

“Gold medal in women’s freestyle wrestling,” Toph gave him the biggest, cockiest smile Aang had seen yet. “Youngest ever.”

“No way!” Aang said excitedly. “That’s awesome, Toph! Do you wrestle for the college then?”

“Nah, it’s not sanctioned by the collegiate association,” Toph said. “But it _is_ awesome. I can’t wait to go back in a couple years. Gotta defend my title.”

“Is that what you’re lifting so hard for?” Aang asked.

“That,” Toph confirmed. “And for beating the snot out of some dipshit frat boys too.”

“It _is_ important to have multiple hobbies,” Aang said sagely.

“You know, you’re not so bad, Twinkletoes,” Toph said.

“Twinkletoes?” Aang asked, caught off-guard by the nickname.

“Teo streamed one of your games in the fall,” Toph explained. “The only thing the commentators say the entire time is how you ‘dance’ and weave your way through the other team. It’s annoying as hell. Dance? C’mon, get a thesaurus.”

Aang couldn’t help but chuckle softly. Toph was very direct and intimidating, but Aang liked that. Something about her was fun and engaging, and he could use a bit of straight-forwardness in his life. Katara’s face flashed across his mind, but he quickly shoved it away. 

“I’ll try and prance next time,” he said.

“Much appreciated,” Toph joked.

“So you still never told me, how did you know where the Boulder was going to punch?” Aang asked.

“Easy,” Toph said. “Usually, frustrated people exhale when punching, and they usually go for the face. It’s hard to hear sometimes, but it’s there. All I had to do is get him riled up, and one educated guess later, I had him exactly where I wanted him.”

“Woah …” Aang admired. “That’s awesome. Do you think you could teach me?”

“Teach you to exhale?” Toph replied sarcastically.

“No, how to wait and listen; to figure out where an opponent would strike,” Aang explained. “I think it would translate well to soccer. Coach Piandao is always on my case about not standing my ground.”

Toph hummed thoughtfully. “Hmmm … I’ll tell you what, Twinkletoes. You did well today. Meet me here Friday afternoon and I’ll show you how it’s done.”

“Great!” Aang grinned. “Thanks Toph.”

“Oh, it’ll be my pleasure,” Toph replied, a sadistic tone to her voice that made Aang gulp hard enough to choke. He was most likely going to regret this.

(He did.)

* * *

Despite his new position as Toph’s personal human punching bag, Aang actually really enjoyed spending time with the woman. It had become an unintentional routine that he would assist with her Wednesday night workouts, and in exchange she would spend Friday evening teaching him some moves. Aang had even been able to introduce Toph to Sokka and Katara. Sokka and Toph had instantly become thick as thieves, much to Katara’s annoyance -- but she later confessed to Aang that she had a high level of respect for the other girl.

Aang’s weeks began to pass in a simple routine of lifts, classes, and time spent with his friends. Unfortunately, the swim team’s season ended rather abruptly when they reached the conference semifinals -- Katara’s incredible prowess not able to carry them forward alone. While Aang was heartbroken for her, Katara handled it gracefully, and was even a bit relieved and excited to have more time to spend with her friends again.

Sokka, however, was having a rather terrible time. The end of the winter also saw the end of his relationship with Yue. She had broken the news to him that the lymphoma she had as an infant had returned, metastasizing to her other organs. Looking at the time she had left, she made a drastic decision; drop out of school and travel the world. See all that she could. But it also meant that she ended things with Sokka, needing to do this on her own. It was a lot to grapple with. 

Katara and Aang supported Sokka as best as they could. After learning from Katara that Sokka was having a hard time reverting back to sleeping alone, Aang started to ‘forget’ Momo in Sokka’s room at night time. Katara spent many nights staying up and talking with her brother, and they went on a few shopping trips too. Despite still mourning the loss of his love and his brief relationship, Sokka put on a brave face, and began to slowly but surely heal -- Yue forever holding a piece of his heart.

Toph on the other hand seemed to be thriving; she was the perfect addition to balance out the dynamics of their group. Aang felt like she revitalized them after the loss of Yue, Sokka most of all. So when Toph finally trusted them enough, she confessed one of her wishes to them, and it became the perfect exciting distraction.

“I want to go to a party,” Toph said, slamming a fist on the dining hall table. All three of them looked over in alarm as the silverware rattled -- Aang quickly reached out a hand to stop Katara’s glass from spilling all over her lap.

“Okay …?” Sokka said hesitantly, not sure how to proceed. Toph always declined their offers to go out partying with them on the weekends, but now it seemed she had a change of heart.

“Look,” Toph said, her tone getting serious. “The idea of getting shoved up against a bunch of sweaty, drunk strangers that I can’t see -- and will barely be able to hear -- isn’t exactly my idea of a good time. But I want to know what I’m missing out on, and I trust you dunderheads won’t strand me.”

“Of course Toph,” Sokka said. “You have nothing to worry about.” He threw an affectionate arm over her shoulder.

“Yeah, we’d love for you to join us!” Aang said.

“Ooh, I’ll help you do your makeup!” Katara volunteered excitedly. 

Toph opened her mouth to object, but was quickly silenced by Katara.

“--No objections,” Katara said. “It’s an essential part of the experience.”

“Fine,” Toph said, huffing to hide the nervousness in her voice.

“Let’s party!” Sokka exclaimed, sounding more excited than Aang had heard him in awhile.

* * *

The four of them -- Sokka, Toph, Aang, and Katara -- were all clustered in a corner of a typical college house on Serpent Street. Katara had done up Toph’s makeup and helped her pick out an outfit, which meant both of them were looking lovely that evening. Toph held onto Sokka’s arm, while Aang stood protectively on Toph’s other side and Katara filled in their square of social solitude. The first twenty minutes were spent with Sokkla describing the house and all its constituents in detail to Toph, and Aang and Katara chipping in relevant details.

Serpent Street was the prime party house of the men’s basketball team, who had a friendly-but-competitive relationship with the men’s soccer team -- however they were both stalwartly united in their contempt for the men’s lacrosse team, which led to the basketball and soccer teams to frequent the other’s parties. The basketball house was larger than the soccer house, 808, that they usually went to. The extra space meant there was more room to shift about and the music -- while equally as loud -- was more dispersed and made it easier to converse. It was the perfect location for Toph’s first college party (that wasn’t a fight night in a fraternity house basement).

“So, what do you think so far?” Aang yelled into Toph’s ear. It earned him a sharp punch to the arm. 

“It’s not that loud in here, Twinkletoes,” Toph said. “No need to yell.”

“Sorry,” Aang said sheepishly.

“Actually, it’s better than I expected,” Toph said. “The music is surprisingly decent, and it doesn’t feel that packed.”

“It’ll probably get more crowded,” Sokka said. “But we can deal with that later.”

A small burp escaped from Aang’s mouth, unable to hold in the carbonation from his beer any longer.

Taking it as a challenge, Sokka let out a longer and louder burp in response.

“I’m so glad we added another girl to the group,” Katara said, grimacing. “That’s --”

It was at this precise moment that Toph let out the loudest beer-infused burp they had ever heard, making Katara immediately eat her words.

“Ugh,” she groaned. “You’re all disgusting.”

“Oh, lighten up, Sugar Queen,” Toph teased. “ _It’s an essential part of the experience_.”

Katara rolled her eyes jokingly, unimpressed her own words were being used against her.

“So, do you guys just stand around and gossip the whole time, or do you do something fun?” Toph asked.

“Well, usually we chat with people and play drinking games,” Aang explained.

“Drinking games?” Toph grinned wickedly. “Sign me up.”

Sokka hummed thoughtfully, considering what game would be the easiest to adapt for Toph. “Hmm, okay, I’ll see if I can get a game of Slap Cup together. I’ll be right back.” Aang offered his arm to Toph, which she took as Sokka broke away.

“So, you don’t mind the taste of beer, Toph?” Aang asked conversationally.

“Nah,” Toph shrugged. “Might as well be water.” She quickly finished off the cheap beer in her hand, crushed it, and tossed it to the ground.

“Okay, we’re all set up,” Sokka said as he rejoined the group. “Toph, you ready?”

“Just tell me how to play and I’ll wipe the floor with your ass, Snoozles,” Toph teased. She reached out for Sokka who met her halfway, and the pair began to make their way to the table in the next room.

“Do you want to go watch?” Aang asked Katara, bending down to pick up Toph’s discarded beer can and toss it into the proper receptacle.

“Let’s do it,” Katara smiled in a way that made Aang's heart flutter. He gestured a hand out in front of him, signaling for her to lead the way. A slight heat rose to his cheeks as he followed after Katara, who looked absolutely stunning in her outfit. Quickly reminding himself that friends don’t dwell on how hot their friends look, Aang redirected his eyeline over Katara’s head.

To no one’s surprise, Toph was a beast at Slap Cup. Sokka stood to her right-side, narrating what was happening: when she was good to slap her neighbor’s cup, grabbing rogue pong balls for her, and assisting her when she needed to grab a new cup. Aang and Katara just stood behind and watched contentedly for a little bit before moving on.

“Can we sit down?” Katara asked. “These heels are killing me.”

“Of course,” Aang nodded. Seating was becoming a bit premium as many more partygoers had arrived. The only space left was a rather small loveseat for Aang and Katara to cram into, practically sitting on top of the other’s thigh.

“So, how does it feel to be done with swim season?” Aang asked.

“Weird, but nice,” Katara replied, toying with the rim of her cup. “I feel like I have so much free time now.”

“Time to try a new hobby,” Aang suggested. “You know, Toph is always looking for new people to beat up.”

“Pass,” Katara chuckled, “Unfortunately, chemistry is keeping me pretty busy.”

“Have you decided on your major yet?” Aang asked.

“I think I’m going to do Pre-Med, officially,” Katara exhaled with nervous excitement.

“That’s awesome, Katara,” Aang grinned. “You’re going to make a great doctor someday.”

“I hope so,” Katara smiled wistfully. “I always told my mom I wanted to be a doctor when I was little.”

“She’d be really proud of you,” Aang said, setting a soothing hand over Katara’s. He lingered for a second too long, causing the both of them to blush.

“I, uh, I’m gonna get some fresh air,” Aang stood up abruptly.

“I could use some too,” Katara said. Aang exhaled in relief. Okay, good, he didn’t overstep. Toph and Sokka were no longer at the Slap Cup table, but as Katara and Aang made their way to the backyard, it didn't take them very long to figure out where the two went. There was a random bar in the middle of the backyard -- a remnant of some long-neglected patio furniture -- and Sokka and Toph were clustered around it. Toph was currently arm-wrestling with some random dude, Sokka cheering and clutching a few crumpled dollar bills in his fist.

“Alright!” he cheered, as Toph slammed the hand of her opponent down onto the dirty glass. “Pay up, everyone.”

Sokka then shuffled around to collect more bills from the spectators. On his way back he tipsily turned a bit too abruptly, slamming into the back of another guy standing nearby.

“Hey, watch it!” the guy yelled, turning around to face whoever just knocked his body into his drink.

“Sorry,” Sokka said, ready to carry on his way.

“Hey,” the guy grabbed Sokka’s shoulder and twisted him back around. “I know you. You’re Soh-ka right?”

“Sokka,” he corrected. “What’s it to you?”

“I’m Hahn,” the guy smiled smugly. “Yue’s _first_ boyfriend. Our families go way back. Just curious what the big deal was about you … nothing, far as I can see.”

“Hmph,” Sokka grunted angrily. Aang could see a flicker of recognition in Sokka’s eyes as his fists balled up. “Yue was way too good for you.”

“Please,” Hahn scoffed. “You’re just some peasant nobody. What could you possibly have given Yue?”

“At least I’m not some soulless, spoiled jerk,” Sokka retorted.

“Tell me Soh-ka,” Hahn sneered, a twisted smile contorting his face, “How did you like my sloppy, _sloppy_ seconds?”

“That’s it --” Sokka began to lunge at Hahn, but he never made it there. Instead, Hahn was already lying on the ground, clutching his nose, Katara standing defiantly over him.

“ _Nobody_ messes with my brother,” Katara spat, cupping her freshly-used fist. Aang’s heart skipped a beat as he darted over to the scene, just a bit too far to make it there in time.

“You bitch --” Hahn tried to rise to his feet to retaliate against Katara, only to be tackled back to the ground by Sokka. The two men started to roll around in the muddy yard, punching and pulling at each other’s hair. Katara had already yanked Toph out of the way by the time Aang got within range, so he quickly switched his focus to determine the safest way to break Sokka and Hahn apart. But in an instant, that was no longer the main problem.

“COPS!” someone yelled. Flashing blue and red lights blazed against the wall of the house, sparking a mass panic.

Sokka and Hahn instantly untangled and scrambled to their feet.

“We gotta go!” Sokka told them, voice laden with adrenaline and worry. “Toph, hop on my back.” He barely waited for a response before pulling Toph’s arms over his shoulders.

“Oopf,” Toph groaned in surprise.

“Let’s go!” Sokka yelled. He quickly sprinted off along with the crowd.

“Aang!” Katara exclaimed, reaching for him but getting separated by the panicked crowd.

“Katara!” Aang said, forcing his way back over to her. She quickly grabbed onto his hand and they took off, desperate to avoid the underage drinking citation and subsequent consequences that would surely be headed their way if caught.

They run and run and run as the crowd slowly disperses into smaller and smaller groups through the suburb streets. They see Sokka and Toph -- the smaller woman still on his back -- up ahead.

“We gotta catch him,” Katara said. Aang nodded, still running alongside her. Her heels hindered her speed significantly, causing Aang to worry that their chances of getting caught were rapidly increasing.

“Get on my back,” Aang said. Katara, understanding his rationale, quickly did so. The adrenaline and the gravity of the situation prevented Aang from dwelling on just how soft Katara’s arms were against his neck, and how delightfully firm her thighs felt against his forearms -- but he would surely reflect on it later that night. The extra weight was a bit of an adjustment for his speed, but Aang was able to catch up with Sokka sure enough.

“Aang!” Sokka exclaimed in relief, recognizing his friend and sister. “We need to hide. The cops are going to be looking for runners.”

“Okay,” Aang nodded. “How about there?” He nodded his head towards the public library, which blessedly had a shrub-laden garden they could hide in.

“Perfect,” Sokka confirmed. The two men quickly made their way over to the bushes as their partners slid off their backs, the four of them darting to the ground to hide. Sokka kept a cautious eye out the whole time, but after about twenty minutes of heart-pounding, asphyxiating anticipation, they decided the coast was finally clear to head home.

Aang’s heart didn’t calm down until they were all safe and sound back in the depths of campus. They dropped Toph off at her dorm on the way, which was fortunately only a few minutes’ walk away from theirs.

“Well Toph, what did you think of your first real college party?” Aang asked.

“It. Was. Awesome!” Toph exclaimed. “I destroyed everyone in Slap Cup, Sugar Queen punched a bitch, and we ran from the cops!” She let out a mad cackle. “We _have_ to do this again!”

“Maybe without the cops next time,” Katara said. She wrapped the sleeves of Aang’s loaned sweatshirt down over her cold hands.

“Eh, suit yourself,” Toph joked with an air of indifference. “Goodnight, guys. Thanks for tonight.”

“Anytime,” Sokka said. “I’ll walk you in.”

Not eager to wait out in the cold for Sokka to return, Aang and Katara continued walking to their dorm, shoulder-to-shoulder, arms brushing occasionally.

Suddenly, Katara halted and gasped, causing Aang to look back in alarm. 

“What’s wrong?”

“My mother’s necklace …” Katara clutched at the bare skin of her neck. “It’s gone … it must’ve fallen off while we were running.”

“It’s okay, Katara,” Aang walked over to her. “Do you want to go back and look for it now?”

“We shouldn’t,” Katara sniffled. “The cops are still out and we’re drunk enough to get in trouble if they stop us.”

Aang knew she was right, but every bone in his body wanted to scour their previous path until he found it for her. She looked ready to cry at any moment. Not knowing what else to do, Aang placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, to which she turned into him and wrapped her arms around him, her face buried in his shirt. Aang instantly brought her into a tight hug.

“It’ll be okay, we’ll find it tomorrow,” he whispered as his shirt began to feel wet. “It’ll be okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, almost to 30K already! Thanks for staying with me folks, hope you guys are enjoying it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something borrowed, something blue. A lover's quarrel always takes two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for staying with me all! This chapter took a bit longer to write, but it's longer than usual to balance out. I hope you all continue to enjoy this AU. And thank you very much for the comments and kudos -- they are much appreciated.
> 
> How to Play Beer Pong (also known just as "pong") -- the basics: There are six cups on one side of a table (long-ways), and six on the other side, tight in the shape of a triangle. There's about one to two inches or so of liquid (usually beer) in each one. Two players stand on one side to play against two other players on the other side. There are two ping pong balls in action -- each player gets a turn to fire their respective ball into one of the cups on the other side, then it is the opponents' turn to shoot. If a ball is sunk into a cup, it's removed from the formation and one of the two players has to drink it. 'Defense' is blowing or knocking the ball out of the cup before it hits the liquid (without spilling the liquid) -- then the cup can remain in the formation.

* * *

They can’t find Katara’s mother’s necklace.

They -- Sokka, Aang, and Katara -- searched everywhere. They retraced their steps from the night before, but it was no use. It wasn’t in the backyard, it wasn’t by the library, it wasn’t along any of the sidewalks. It was if it simply disappeared from thin air.

Both Aang and Sokka were very apologetic. Katara told them both that it was okay, that it would turn up eventually. But even as the words left her mouth, she knew it was a lie. It tasted stale and bitter in her mouth. She would’ve given anything to have it resting safely around her neck again.

But that’s not how things work.

So life moved on. Katara did a double-take every morning as she passed her reflection in the mirror, something about her appearance slightly off. Every time she stopped, and every time she realized with a heavy heart that her neck was tragically bare. After a week, she stopped looking, avoiding the mirror altogether.

Katara tried to tell herself that she would get over it. That it was just a piece of stone and fabric. But it wasn’t and she wasn’t over it. So Katara ended up at breakfast with the boys and Toph, a lack of an appetite causing her to pick feebly at her scrambled eggs.

“Katara?” Aang’s voice cut through her thoughts.

“Huh?” Katara looked up at him.

“We’re headed out,” Aang said gently. He already had his plate and cup stacked in one hand, offering the other out to her.

“Oh,” Katara sighed. “Okay.”

She could feel Aang’s look of concern on the back of her head, but had no energy to engage. Instead she just grabbed her dishes and began to walk along with Aang.

“What if we go swimming tonight?” Aang asked her, the beginning of a hopeful smile already on his face.

“I don’t know, Aang, I’m not really feeling up to it,” Katara looked down at the floor ahead. She felt so numb to everything -- even the thought of her favorite activity did little to stir her heart.

“Okay,” Aang looked downcast but didn't push her further. “I’m going to visit Appa later, if you want to join?”

“I’ll pass this time,” she said. She didn’t offer an excuse, and Aang didn’t need one.

Katara went to class like usual, studied in the library like usual, and ate dinner with the gang like usual, all the time feeling like a distant spectator to her own day. Nothing really jarred her out of her solemn trance, until she got a text from Aang that night.

_ Meet me by the fountain? _

Katara wanted to text back and decline, but her fingers hovered above the send-button a little too long and she changed her mind.

_ Okay. Leaving now _

The fountain had recently become their unofficial meeting point. It just so happened the grandiose water feature was halfway between the pool where Aang worked and the library that Katara often frequented. It always looked so peaceful and serine at night, the lamplight dancing from one gentle wave to the next. (They wouldn’t ever dare touch the water though, not after they saw just how frequently drunk students would relieve themselves in it every weekend.)

It took Katara a little longer to get there than usual, since she was coming from the dorms instead of the library. The cold air pushed through the knit of her sweater, but the fact she didn’t even need her winter parka anymore hinted at spring's quickening arrival. The sun had long since set, replaced by the gentle light of the moon and as always, Katara found herself a bit more at peace under it.

Aang was all smiley when she got there. Appa was by his side, giving Katara a welcoming sniff. She petted his furry head without a second thought.

“Hi!” Aang grinned at her.

“Hi,” she returned a soft smile. Katara crossed her arms over her chest, the cold finally seeping in. Aang noticed the motion.

“We can walk back,” Aang said, “I just wanted to give you something before I dropped Appa off at Roku’s, and I didn’t want you to fall asleep first.”

Katara’s eyes opened a little wider at the idea of a present. “Ooh, what is it?”

Aang looked bashful as he pulled something out of his pocket. It was obscured by his fist initially so Katara wasn’t sure what to expect, but her heart raced a bit.

“I made you a necklace,” Aang said, letting the end of some sort of string fall down from his fingertips. The necklace was composed of white woven fibers overlapped in a complex and striking braid, with a pink flower bead in the middle.

A soft smile quickly overtook Katara’s face. “Thanks, Aang.” She reached out for the necklace to get a closer look. “I love it.” In truth, it was clear he spent an exorbitant amount of time on it, and she felt deeply touched by the gesture.

“I didn’t know you made jewelry,” Katara mused, tying the necklace around her neck. The rougher texture felt foreign against her skin, but having the weight of the cool stone bead in the dip of her collarbone again was more soothing than she realized.

“Maybe if soccer doesn’t work out, I’ll go into the jewelry-making business,” Aang joked.

“So, how do I look?” Katara asked, flipping her braid over her shoulder so his view of the necklace was unobscured.

“Uh--” Aang stuttered, swallowing hard. Katara noticed it immediately, but pretended not to for the sake of their recently uncomplicated friendship. “You look great.”

“Thanks,” Katara said, and they began to walk back in the peace of each other’s company. She nudged his shoulder as they walked. “Seriously. I know I haven’t been myself recently, but this helps.”

“I’m glad,” Aang smiled softly down at her. “I’m always here for you.”

* * *

“Aang, I need your pants!”

That was about the last line he expected to hear from Katara on an abnormally warm March afternoon, but here they were. Aang and Toph had been studying at one of the tables in the ground floor of the Sciences Hall, when Katara had popped out of nowhere looking incredibly frantic.

“What?” Aang gawked at her. Toph sat beside him, one ear out of her headphones looking equally as confused.

“For lab,” Katara spoke quickly, almost as if she was trying to catch her breath. “It was so warm this morning, I wore shorts, but forgot I had lab, and we have to wear pants, or we get sent home, and I don’t have time to run to the locker room, or back to my dorm--”

“--oh, no problem!” Aang said, bolting to his feet. “Just take mine.”

“And what are you going to wear, Twinkletoes?” Toph asked incredulously.

Aang and Katara just looked at each other and panicked. “Uh …”

“You can wear my shorts,” Katara suggested.

Aang looked down at the shorts Katara was wearing. They were some sort of flowy canvas material, and shorter than anything in his own wardrobe, but at least they weren’t tight.

“That’ll work,” Aang said, hiding a grimace. “It’s our best option anyways.”

“Thank you so much, Aang,” Katara exhaled. She looked at him with big blue eyes, looking ready to cry out of relief.

“Of course, Katara,” Aang smiled softly. “It’s no problem.”

“So,” Toph piped up from the table behind them. “Where are you two going to switch pants? You can’t exactly strip down here in the middle of the atrium.”

Katara glanced at her watch. “We’re going to have to do it in the bathroom.”

Thankfully, the university had adopted a rather progressive stance on bathrooms, which meant the first and fourth floor bathrooms were designated to be gender-neutral. Katara went into one of the stalls as Aang stood on the other side of the plastic door.

“How much time do we have?” Aang asked, sock-covered feet carefully perched atop his shoes. He began to pull his pants down, praying no one walked in for the next few minutes.

“Five minutes,” Katara answered. “Here, catch!”

Katara’s navy shorts came floating over the stall door, almost landing on Aang’s head. Aang grabbed them with one hand, his pants in the other. They smelled faintly like her -- a sweet, fresh scent that reminded Aang of the ocean.

“Back at you,” he warned, tossing his pants against Katara’s stall door so they wrapped over the edge.

There were the sounds of fabric rustling as they both frantically redressed and slid their shoes back on.

“Thank you so much, Aang,” Katara said, relief palpable in her voice once more. “I really appreciate it.”

“No problem,” he said, turning to look at her. His pants were way too long for her, and she had clearly rolled the waistband several times in an attempt to help it stay up. It was by no means a good fit, but they would work for her lab. Aang tried to ignore the little tremor in his heart at the sight of her wearing his clothes -- she had worn his sweatshirts and jackets on multiple occasions, but there was something more … intimate … about seeing her in his pants. 

She placed a quick kiss on his cheek before he realized what happened. “See you later!” And just like that, she was gone.

Aang looked up at the large mirror in front of him, over by the sinks. Even given his distance from it, he could see his cheeks were lit bright red. It really served to complete the ensemble; his classic worn arrow cap, T-shirt, Katara’s shorts that seemed to have shrunk impossibly small since he put them on, and the pasty skin of his upper thighs that rarely saw the light of day.

Aang sighed at his reflection. A small part of him was relieved that it was Toph he had been studying with -- at least she wouldn’t see how ridiculous he looked. But as the skin of his cheek continued to burn, right where Katara’s soft lips had pressed, he found it easy to accept his new look with a sense of pride.

“Welcome back, Twinkletoes,” Toph greeted him smugly.

“Thanks, Toph,” Aang said resignedly, walking back up to the table.

He heard the sudden artificial shutter click of someone taking a photo, only to see Toph’s phone in her hand. It wasn’t centered on him, but it was decently close enough that she might’ve got some evidence of his new outfit.

“Toph!” Aang whined. “Don’t take a photo!”

“Are you kidding? Sokka will pay good money to see this,” Toph said. “I hope I got a good one.”

“It’s probably a bit off-center,” Aang said.

“Will you take a better one?” Toph asked, voice a little too sweet.

“No,” Aang groaned, sitting back down next to Toph.

“You know, I’ve always said Katara wears the pants in your relationship,” Toph teased.

“ _ Friendship _ , Toph,” Aang corrected.

“Call it whatever you like, Twinkletoes,” Toph waved him off. “Doesn’t change the fact you’re still wearing her shorts right now.”

“I would’ve done it for you too,” Aang defended. 

“I wouldn’t have done it for you.”

“Great, thanks, Toph,” Aang deadpanned. “Do you know what time Katara gets out of lab?”

“Four o’clock, I think,” Toph said, popping a handful of nuts into her agape mouth. “Wa’ sum nuts?”

“I’m going to be like this for three hours!?” Aang groaned into his palms, before peeking back out at the sound of a very loud crunch. “Wait, those are my nuts!”

* * *

“So, I heard you were wearing shorts yesterday,” Sokka said. “A very  _ special _ pair of shorts.” Sokka waved his phone in Aang’s face; on it was the blurry, off-center photo of him Toph had taken earlier.

Aang sighed, trying to tune out Sokka’s voice as the party raged around them.

“Leave Aang alone!” Katara protested, swatting at Sokka’s arm. “He was being nice. You’re just lucky you were in class, or else I would’ve made you give me  _ your _ pants.”

“Fine, fine,” Sokka relented, putting his phone away. “Anyone up for pong?”

“I have to pee,” Toph said.

“Oh, I’ll go too,” Katara said. She took Toph’s hand off Sokka’s arm and put it on her own. They made it a few steps before Katara ran into Suki and two other soccer girls. They were close enough Aang could still hear their conversation. 

“Suki, we’re gonna go to the bathroom,” Katara said.

“Oh, we’ll go too!” Suki said, taking the hands of her two nearby friends.

“Why do girls always go to the bathroom together at parties?” Aang asked Sokka, watching confusedly as the gaggle of women disappeared into the small bathroom. There was no way all five of them could fit in that small room easily. Right?

Sokka shrugged. “No clue. Pong?”

“Sure,” Aang agreed.

Out of all the drinking games, Aang preferred beer pong the most. Mostly because he was fairly adept at throwing the ball into the cups, which meant he would usually be on the winning side. As far as Aang was concerned, the less beer he had to drink, the better.

“So,” Sokka said, handing him a ball then shooting his own. “What’s going on with you and Katara?”

“Nothing,” Aang paled. He shot his ball a little too directly and it bounced off the rim of the cup.

“Really?” Sokka said, not taking his eyes off their opponents, who were now shooting back at their cups. “Because I saw the necklace you made.”

“It’s nothing,” Aang said. “I just felt bad about her mom’s necklace.”

“Good,” Sokka narrowed his brows as he shifted from Aang’s left side to his right, trying to find a more preferable angle to shoot from. “Because what I said back in January still stands. She’s got a lot going on and a relationship isn’t what she needs right now.”

Aang felt his heart plummet into his stomach. A part of him wanted to spit back at Sokka -- who was he to decide what Katara did and didn’t need? But he held his tongue. That would be the alcohol talking, not what Aang knew he should feel. Sokka had a point; Aang didn’t know Katara like Sokka did.

“I know that,” Aang said, a bit too bitingly.

“I’m just trying to look out for my sister,” Sokka defended. “You weren’t here over winter break.”

“Yeah.” Aang’s head drooped a bit.

“Hey!” a cheerful voice said over Aang’s shoulder. A pair of cold, gentle hands wrapped around his waist.

“Hey,” Aang turned around, smiling when he saw Katara’s face. Her hands on him felt divine despite the chill, but as he twisted towards her, they retracted. Aang tried to not let the disappointment show on his face.

“Aang!” Sokka whined. There was the sound of a pong ball sinking into a cup. “Pay attention! We need to play defense.”

“Step aside, Twinkletoes,” Toph said. “I’ll handle the action from here.”

Aang was more than happy to bow out of the game. He handed Toph the pong ball currently in his hand. “All yours, Toph.”

He turned his attention back to Katara. She looked gorgeous as always. If only she knew just how wild she drove him, in just a simple outfit of jeans and a crop top. Seeing the necklace he made around her neck just made his heart flutter even faster.

“Want to go sit?” he offered.

“Oh, I …” Katara stammered. “Maybe another time. I’m supposed to go find Suki.”

“Oh, okay,” Aang said. A soft frown crossed his face as she disappeared into the crowd. Now what? He had gotten so used to spending every night out by her side. But he was his own person, which meant it was time to make some new friends then.

Aang headed for the kitchen alone for once to grab another drink. He and Katara had split a six-pack of some sugary, brightly colored bottled drinks and hidden it in one of the kitchen cabinets. Thankfully, it had yet to be discovered by any of the other vultures that passed as partygoers. Aang quickly grabbed a new bottle, leaned against the countertop, and twisted it open. He sipped it idly as he looked out over the many faces in front of him.

“Hi,” a female voice said suddenly. A girl appeared on his side. She had brown hair and bangs framing her forehand, a cup in her hand.

“Hello,” Aang said.

“I’m Yee-Li,” she introduced, sticking a hand out in greeting.

“Nice to meet you,” Aang said. He stood upright and shook her hand. “I’m Aang.”

“This is Xing Ying,” Yee-Li said, gesturing to the other girl by her side. She also had brown hair, but it was very long and slicked back behind her ears. Aang realized both the girls were dressed a bit overly formal for the rather laid-back and last minute party that was being thrown at 808. They must’ve come from somewhere else.

“Nice to meet you too,” Aang smiled. “Are you guys enjoying the party?”

“Yeah, it’s fun,” Yee-Li smiled in return. “We just got here; the lacrosse house got shut down by the cops.”

“Oh, no. They were here the other weekend too,” Aang said, vividly remembering his own previous encounter. His gut ached suddenly. Right. Katara’s necklace had gone missing because of that night.

“You play on the soccer team, right?” Xing Ying asked.

“Yeah,” Aang confirmed, reorienting his mind back to the conversation at hand. “Do you guys play a sport here too?”

“Yeah, we’re both on the softball team,” Yee-Li said.

“Oh cool,” Aang smiled. “I haven’t met anyone from the softball team yet. You guys just started your season, right?”

“Yes, back in February,” Xing Ying said. “So, what is it like playing soccer?”

“Yeah,” Yee-Li added. “We watched some of your games in the fall. You’re an amazing player!”

“Thanks. Oh, uh, it’s pretty fun, I guess?” Aang said. The girls were looking at him like he was the most interesting thing in the room, and he couldn’t figure out why.

“How tall are you?” Xing Ying asked.

“Uh, a bit over six feet, I think?” Aang fumbled for an answer. After his winter break growth spurt, he didn’t really know anymore.

“I like your tattoos,” Yee-Li said, gesturing to his arm.

“Thank you,” Aang smiled politely, bringing a hand up to adjust his hat.

“Can we see them?” Xing Ying asked expectantly. Her eyes were practically glittering with excitement.

“Uh, sure,” Aang said. He flexed out his forearms for them to see. Xing Ying ran a gentle fingertip up his forearm, making his skin tingle. He hadn’t realized she was going to do that.

“Wow,” she marveled.

“How long did it take?” Yee-Li asked.

“Oh, awhile,” Aang said. “Like fifteen hours or so.”

“Is it true you have one on your back, too?” Yee-Li asked.

“Yup,” Aang confirmed. “And my legs.”

“Would you show us?” Xing Ying asked. “I’ll show you mine.” To prove her point, she pulled her tight top upwards. Inked down the side of her ribcage was a flower pattern, and with it Aang got an unexpected eyeful of underboob -- his eyes shot up to the ceiling instantly. Apparently the girl wasn’t wearing a bra, which Aang didn’t even realize girls did. He was pretty sure Katara usually wore one.

“Oh, uh, it’s very nice,” Aang stuttered, blushing and trying way too hard to keep eye contact. “So … do you have tattoos too?” he asked Yee-Li.

“No, but I’ve been thinking of getting a vine down along here,” she said, pulling the waistband of her pants down and running a finger along her hipbone in explanation.

“Oh, that would look nice,” Aang spoke quickly. He didn’t realize how very passionate the girls were about tattoos, and he certainly was a bit flustered by their … openness.

“So, can we see the rest of yours?” Yee-Li asked sweetly. Both girls were looking at him through half-lidded eyes, and Aang couldn’t help but wonder if they were sleepy or drunk or something.

“Oh, yeah, uh, sure,” Aang started to pull his shirt up by the neck, only for a familiar voice to stop him in his tracks.

“There you are, sweetie!” Katara’s voice rang out. She appeared out of nowhere, wrapping an arm around his waist and pressing her chest into his side. “Come on, let’s go get some air.”

“Hello,” Yee-Li said, in a tone Aang thought was oddly hostile.

“Hi,” Katara said, giving the girls a very fake-looking smile. She then stood on her toes to kiss Aang’s cheek.

Ooo-kay, Aang was missing something here, but he was grateful for Katara’s company nonetheless. Katara then shifted her hand around his waist -- it dragged across his lower back and sent a shiver up his spine -- until it came to intertwine with his fingers. 

The other two girls’ faces dropped into a mixture of disappointment and annoyance.

“Well, I better go,” Aang said sheepishly, Katara already pulling him away. “It was great meeting you both.”

Both Yee-Li and Xing Ying mumbled a goodbye, glaring at Katara long after she and Aang left the kitchen for outside.

“Hi,” Aang said, deeply inhaling the cool night air.

“Hi,” Katara huffed. “I thought you could use a rescue.” She shot an annoyed glance back in the direction of the kitchen.

“A rescue? Why? Did you know those girls?” Aang asked innocently.

“No,” Katara gave him a confused look. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, they just seemed … kind of hostile towards you,” Aang said. “And we were just chatting.”

Katara gave him a look. “They were flirting with you, Aang.”

“Oh.”

_ Oh. _

So Katara just stole him away from those two girls … because they were flirting … with him. Aang’s mind started to spin quickly, trying to make sense of the situation. She wasn’t … jealous, was she?

“Well, now that you’re officially rescued, we can probably go find Sokka and Toph,” Katara said.

She started to head back inside, but Aang quickly blurted out “Wait! Katara, can we talk?”

She stopped and turned back to him. “Oh, sure, Aang,” Katara’s brow furrowed. “What about?”

“What just happened in there,” Aang said. “Why did you pull me away from those girls?”

“I just thought you could use the rescue,” Katara said, a defensive tone to her voice. “They were all over you.”

“We were just chatting,” Aang said.

“Fine, then why don’t you go back in and ‘chat’ with them some more?” Katara spat.

“It’s not about that,” Aang said, getting a bit exasperated. “Tonight … the hip touching, the ‘rescue’ … what’s going on? Things feel … different!”

Katara gave him another look, this time with her brows furrowed.

“And what about my pants yesterday? And just now -- the cheek kiss?” Aang rattled off, Toph’s comment from earlier spurring him on a bit. Surely, he missed a few cues every once and again, but he felt like Katara was definitely sending him some mixed signals.

“What about them? I’ve kissed your cheek before.”

“Yeah,” Aang said slowly. “But not to … drive girls away from me. It feels like you’re jealous of--”

“--Jealous? We’re friends, Aang,” Katara cut him off. “That’s it. I thought we talked about this.”

“We did!” Aang felt himself getting progressively more exasperated. “That’s why I’m confused, Katara!”

“I don’t know what you want from me,” Katara said defensively. She crossed her arms over her chest.

“I feel like you’re treating me like your boyfriend, half the time,” Aang confessed. “But then the other half, you don’t want anything to do with me!” That was a bit of an exaggeration, but under the bias of a few beers, it felt that way to him.

“Look Aang, I care about you,” Katara said. 

Aang could feel the confusion and frustration and alcohol coursing through his veins, practically shoving words out of his mouth. “When why did you stop those girls from flirting with me?” he questioned.

“I --”

“And why are you touching my waist? And holding my hand? And kissing my cheek? Why--” 

“--I’m not looking for a boyfriend!” Katara yelled suddenly.

“I never said I wanted to be your boyfriend! I just can’t figure out what you want, Katara,” Aang spat, turning his back to her. “I don’t even think you know either. When you figure it out, let me know.”

“Aang …” Katara trailed off, looking at him with wounded eyes.

“Save it,” he looked away, blood pounding in his ears. He set his drink down on the porch railing with finality. “I’m headed home.”

And with that, Aang stormed off. He didn’t look back; not until the sounds of the party had long since faded into the silence of the night.

* * *

The pounding in Aang’s chest didn't calm for awhile. Not wanting to be around anyone -- instead preferring the company of his own pity-party -- Aang found himself wandering the streets of collegetown. The longer he walked, the more quickly he became aware of the pressure in his bladder. He needed to pee, and  _ soon _ . 

He glanced around frantically, only to realize he was by the same library garden where they had hidden from the cops the previous weekend. The large, lush bushes would work for tonight’s mission too. Aang danced over to them, glancing all around to ensure he wouldn’t be seen. As he maneuvered his way towards the far darkened corner, a small glint of light caught his eye. There was something shiny under one of the shrubs.

Curious, he bent down to see what the item was.

No way.

Sparkling in the moonlight, barely exposed under a mountain of dead leaves, was a familiar blue stone.

Katara’s necklace!

Aang snatched it up in a blink of the eye. He brought it closer to his face for inspection, still not quite believing the incredible stroke of luck. Yet there it was, a rounded blue stone with three spirals and waves carved into the surface.

It was definitely Katara’s necklace.

Aang immediately pulled out his phone, clutching the necklace in his other hand as if it was a life preserver in the open sea. He needed to get this back to Katara as soon as possible.

A sharp pang ran through his stomach. Of course -- how could he be so stupid? In all the energy and emotion of the night, he had forgotten to consider how she must’ve been feeling. It was no secret she had been struggling all week; the loss of her mother’s necklace had weighed heavily on her. He felt his guilt over his outburst amplify tenfold.

Fuck. He needed to apologize.

Two quick texts later, and Katara agreed to meet with him at their fountain. She was already there when he arrived, her arms crossed over her chest and her jacket sleeves drawn over her hands.

“Do you want to sit?” Aang gestured to the edge of the fountain.

“Sure.”

Her wet eyes looked at him cautiously and he couldn’t help but wonder if she had been crying. (Toph would later indirectly confirm she had.) Aang clutched the necklace in his hand nervously.

“I owe you an apology, Katara. I’m sorry,” Aang said, making eye contact. His gut was aching something awful.

“I never should have blown up at you. It was immature and selfish of me,” he continued. “I didn’t stop to consider how you might’ve been feeling. I know you’re going through a lot right now, and I’m sorry I contributed to it.”

“Thank you for apologizing,” Katara said in a soft, genuine tone. There was a pregnant pause, but Aang could feel the pain in his stomach start to subside. “I owe you an apology too, Aang.”

Aang turned towards her, his grey eyes meeting regretful blues.

“The truth is, I do have some feelings for you,” Katara confessed. “Back in the kitchen … I  _ was _ jealous. But honestly, I don’t have the capacity to be a good partner in a relationship right now. It hasn’t exactly been a good year for either of us. The last thing I want to do is rush into something and the both of us get hurt.”

Aang nodded, allowing time for Katara’s words to sink in. She had a point, although Aang didn’t really care for it much. But he knew it was wise.

“So can we just put our feelings on hold, and focus on our friendship?” Katara asked, looking up at him delicately. “I’m not saying never, I’m just saying not right now. And I don’t expect you to wait for me, but … I don’t want to lose you, even if it’s just as a friend.”

“Sure, Katara. I understand,” Aang said, meeting her gaze with soft grey eyes. His voice was genuine but the hurt still came through and there was nothing Aang could do to stop it. 

A single tear pooled in the corner of Katara’s eye, but didn’t spill over. “Thanks, Aang.” She leaned her head against his shoulder affectionately.

“Hey Katara?” Aang said softly.

“Yeah, Aang?” she sniffled.

“I still feel kind of bad about how things went down tonight,” Aang said, “I know it’s not the same, but I wish there was something I could do to help soothe things …”

“It’s alright,” Katara said.

“No, really. Like something I could do to tie things back together. A way to help restore things. Maybe something like … this?” 

Aang unfurled his cupped hand and Katara gasped. There, sitting in his palm, was Katara’s mother’s necklace.

“Aang!” Katara exclaimed, immediately snatching it back into her possession. “My mother’s necklace! How?! Where did you find this?!”

“I was walking home past the library, where we hid from the cops,” Aang explained. “I really had to pee so I wandered into the bushes and a little glint of light caught my eye. It was your mother’s necklace.”

“Oh, spirits,” Katara whispered in reverence, quickly tying the necklace back around her neck. Aang could see her shoulders relax, as if she had just set down the weight of the world off her shoulders. “Aang, I don’t know how I could ever repay you …”

“You don’t need to,” Aang assured her. “You were there for me with Gyatso. I’m just glad you have your reminder of your mom back.”

“Thank you … thank you so much.” There was another pause as Katara wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

“Can I … give you one more kiss?” Katara asked slowly. “On the cheek. As a thank you?”

“Yeah,” he smiled softly, feeling the warmth of her gentle lips against his cold cheek once more.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang and Katara settle into their new dynamic. The Gaang meets Toph's family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So so sorry for the delay everyone. I had a few things come up that left me with almost no time to write these past few weeks. Thanks for sticking with me!
> 
> Warnings: the Beifongs are very toxic parents

* * *

It turned out that talking about their feelings actually helped to settle a lot of the conflict between Aang and Katara. It had removed a lot of the uncertainty and anxiety they felt towards the other, and clarified their expectations and needs. They were now free to just enjoy each other’s company. It fostered a whole new level of peace and closeness between them.

Their conflict resolution came at a good time. This part of the spring was hectic and rushed for all of them; Aang and Sokka began their spring season for soccer, practicing late at night only to wake up early for lifts. Toph’s personal wrestling coach, Sud, upped her training regimen almost double. And Katara started to lift in the mornings with the swim team, so everyone -- except for Toph, who would never allow her mornings to be commandeered in such a way -- was now waking long before sunrise. Everyone was sore, stressed, and sleep-deprived.

For Aang, Katara’s companionship in their downtime was a welcome comfort. She was warm and encouraging in his moments of exhaustion and apprehension, and he was calm and patient during her bouts of frustration and stress. Balance was the epitome of their dynamic.

Friday nights became their designated movie nights. They would all post up in Sokka’s room. He would get his TV configured for their use, Katara would cover the space in copious amounts of pillows and blankets for them to lay on, Aang would make popcorn, and Toph would eat it while Momo purred himself asleep in her lap. Sokka and Aang had even figured out a way to sneak Appa up into the dorms, so the whole gang was together.

That’s how they found themselves all bunched together under the gentle blue light of the TV. Sokka sat closest to the TV, entranced by the movie, looking ready to jump through the screen. Toph was to his side, leaning back munching on popcorn. Occasionally a piece would fall on Momo, but it did nothing to wake him. The cat had quickly become very fond of Toph. In the back, Aang and Katara laid relaxed next to each other -- separated only by Appa’s massive fluff.

“What is this movie?” Katara whispered down to Aang. He was laying with his head near her hip while spooning Appa. “This is the cheesiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“I don’t know why Sokka likes it so much,” Aang whispered back.

“Shush!” Sokka screeched, his eyes practically glued to the screen. “Love Amongst the Dragons is a delightful and classic rom-com.”

“He’s such a sap,” Katara informed Aang. Aang let out a muffled giggle.

“If you’re not going to enjoy the movie, go whisper somewhere else!” Sokka interrupted. “Do something useful and go make Toph more popcorn.”

“I second that,” Toph said, holding up her almost empty bowl for emphasis.

“Alright, alright,” Katara said. ‘We’ll stop.”

They finished the remainder of the movie shooting mocking glances back and forth to each other. Towards the end of the film, Katara slid down to lay on her side, face to face with Appa. She scratched his cheeks idly while cooing. Aang laid there silently, watching her with a warm smile on his face. Given their positions over the dog, their faces were only about a foot or so away. There was a palpable heat in the air.

Katara’s eyes flickered back and forth between Aang’s gaze and Appa. She returned Aang’s smile, creating an undeniably intimate moment between them both. Aang could feel his heart jump towards her; it wasn’t jittery or lustful, but rather a deep pang of appreciation. This felt _good_.

Until Appa sneezed and they both recoiled to opposite sides of the room.

* * *

Spring Break was interesting. It was right in the middle of their spring season training, and a welcome relief from it all. After mutual agreement that it would be nice to get a change of scenery from Republic City for the week, Toph begrudgingly suggested they head for her hometown, Gaoling. Her family also had a cabin a short drive away, buried in the scenic heart of the mountains -- they would go there first.

The six-hour drive was spent with the four young adults and two animals crammed in the small bed of Sokka’s truck, the trip riddled with many types of candy and frequent potty breaks.

“Did you have to bring the fluffball?” Toph complained from somewhere underneath Appa.

“Appa is an essential part of the team, Toph.” Aang shot Toph a dirty look. “And he was here before you were.”

Toph exhaled in annoyance, but whatever her response would’ve been was cut short by Sokka yelling in surprise as Momo jumped into his lap. The truck jerked in response.

“Sokka!” Katara exclaimed.

“Momo, no!” Sokka screamed, frozen as the cat began to claw his way up behind Sokka’s head. “I hate you, you tiny bastard.”

“Momo’s not a bastard!” Aang objected.

“You need a bigger car, Sokka,” Katara added, juggling multiple snack bags and her phone. She had been appointed head navigator and director of all snacks by Sokka. “And who ate the last piece of jerky?!”

“I deserved it! I’m the driver,” Sokka complained, his mouth half-filled by Momo’s fluttering tail.

They were all ready to rip each other’s heads off by the time they got to the Beifong cabin, but any irritation was forgotten upon arrival. The fresh evergreen air soothed immediately. To call the place a ‘cabin’ was a bit of an understatement -- it was a huge modern-style house with enough guest rooms for them to each have their own room, and then some. It was decorated with wood and snuggly textiles and plants. It was simply utopic.

Aang spent every morning waking up to the gentle chirps of birds, sunlight streaming through the pines, and it was a peace he hadn’t felt since Gyatso.

“Man …” Aang sighed, basking in the morning light. He stretched and turned to look over at Appa. “This is something else, isn’t it buddy?”

Appa -- sprawled across the rest of the giant bed -- groaned in agreement as he rolled onto his side.

By absolutely no surprise, Aang was always the first one up. He suspected Katara would be the next one to surface, then Sokka, then Toph. Their days were spent eating, working out, swimming, and watching movies; the nights were spent waging pillow-fort war, playing drinking games, relaxing in the hot tub, and having midnight existential talks about their futures. Today was their last day there, but it would be no different.

In the peaceful silence of the morning, Aang dressed then busied himself by making a fruit pie. Even Appa and Momo -- who slept with Sokka -- didn’t join him until a bit later, when the sweet fruity smell began to drift throughout the house.

“Good morning,” Katara yawned, walking into the kitchen.

“Good morning!” Aang beamed. 

He looked up to see a sleepy Katara pad into the kitchen and plop down at the granite bar. She wore one of Aang’s t-shirts -- a blue one she had stolen a few nights ago -- as an oversized sleeping dress, with running shorts peeking out from the bottom. Her blue eyes were still half-closed and there was a white knit blanket draped around her shoulders. Her hair was down loose around her shoulders, and the sunlight danced off of it like bronze. She was, quite simply, beautiful. It was a vision of what could be, that twisted his heart in the most bittersweet way.

“Want to go swimming?” Katara asked.

“Absolutely,” Aang grinned. If they went now, it would mean they could have some alone-time before their friends woke up. The idea was tempting, but Aang wouldn’t want to rush her either.

“Would you like some pie first?” Aang offered, gesturing to the pastry in front of him. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

“That smells delicious! But yes, later,” Katara said. “I was actually hoping we could go swimming together before anyone else wakes up. Sokka and Toph were so obnoxious last night, and I could use some time with you to calm down before I deal with them again.”

She wanted to be alone with him. He was _calming_. Nothing could knock that grin off Aang’s face.

“I’d be happy to, Katara,” Aang smiled.

Looking back on the trip, that would become Aang’s favorite moment. There were plenty more exciting and eventful times, but that minute in the kitchen would cement itself firmly in his mind. It was small, he knew that. But Katara’s admission had stoked the quiet embers of his heart, reviving the dampened flame that burned only for her.

* * *

Their time at the cabin came with a price; dinner with Toph’s parents the day before they returned to Republic City. There was ‘no way they could be so close to Gaoling’ and ‘enjoying the Beifong family hospitality’ without paying their respects, a very grumpy Toph reiterated.

Toph’s family had _insisted_ on sending a driver to the cabin to ferry her home -- much to her annoyance -- but Sokka had volunteered to join her. The truck still had to find its way back, so Sokka had begrudgingly handed Katara the keys with a screechy warning about finding any new scratches. Aang, of course, had gone in the truck with Katara; Appa and Momo in the back of the cabin.

“What’s my next exit again, Aang?” Katara kept her eyes on the road ahead.

“Foggy Swamp Highway,” Aang read off his phone screen. “But we still have about another eight miles to go. Do you need anything?”

“Ugh, I’m okay for now,” Katara groaned. “I can’t say I’m looking forward to another six-hour drive tomorrow.”

As if on cue, Appa let out a moan of agreement.

“I feel you, buddy,” Aang reached back to scratch his head. “I hate being cooped up too.”

“Actually, could you hand me a snack?” Katara asked.

“Sure,” Aang said. “We’ve still got pretzels, sour candy … that looks like it’s about it.”

“Sour candy, please,” Katara requested. Aang handed the food over, right past Appa’s face, carefully avoiding the inquisitive nose that popped up.

“It was nice of Toph’s family to let us use the cabin for the break,” Aang said.

“Yeah, the cabin was so fun,” Katara agreed. “So, do you know anything about her family?”

“Not really,” Aang admitted. “I know her parents aren’t really involved in her hobbies. Her dad works a lot.”

“Wow,” Katara gawked. “What kind of parents wouldn’t be proud to have an olympic athlete in the family?”

Aang shrugged. “I don’t know, honestly. Gyatso was always so involved in my life no matter what it was -- school, soccer, other hobbies.”

“My mom was like that too,” Katara said. “She used to look over Sokka and I’s homework every night and help us with math.”

“Well she must’ve done something right,” Aang praised. “Seeing as how one of her kids is going to be an engineer and the other a doctor.”

“Yeah,” Katara smiled fondly, a hint of sadness in her eyes. “So … I heard from my dad recently.”

“You did?” Aang sat upright. “What happened? How are you feeling about it?”

“He … he’s coming home,” Katara spoke so softly as if the words were glass.

“What!? That’s amazing!” Aang grinned, his hands flying up to clutch his hat. “When does he get back?”

“His tour ends in a few months,” Katara said. “He said he’s done -- he’s not going back.” Katara’s voice quivered towards the end, doubt weakening the sentiment. Aang noticed it immediately.

“How are you feeling about all of this?”

“I don’t know,” Katara confessed. “Honestly, it’s hard to believe it’s really happening. I’ve heard this from him before.”

“You have?”

“Yeah,” Katara exhaled. “Right before Sokka and I started our last year of high school, he came back claiming to have finished his last tour. He only made it two months before he sat us down and told us he had to go back, that he was so sorry --”

Katara’s voice faltered. Aang reached his left arm over to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“-- he missed our graduation. He wasn’t there to move us into college. I know it sounds silly, and he’s made so many sacrifices for us, but we’re first-generation college students! It was a big deal and it stung that he couldn’t be there.”

“I’m so sorry, Katara,” Aang said. “That must’ve been really hard to go through.”

Katara gave a rueful chuckle. “You know, the worst part about it? I think he just keeps going back so he doesn’t have to be at home -- where Mom died. He doesn’t have to deal with it if he’s not there.”

“Have you tried talking to him about it?” Aang asked, cautious to avoid igniting her temper. He could see the warning embers already blazing in her eyes.

“No,” Katara said with equal parts venom and defeat. “I don’t even know what I’d want to say to him. It’s not like he can re-do anything.”

“You don’t have to,” Aang soothed. “But maybe it’s more about saying what _you_ need to say, so that you don’t have to carry it further anymore. Talk to him to resolve things for _you_.”

“Yeah, I guess so …” Katara conceded.

“You don’t have to decide right now, either,” Aang reminded. “You have plenty of time. Just think about it.”

Katara took a deep breath. “I will. Thank you, Aang.”

“All in a day’s work,” Aang smiled. To lighten the mood, he quickly shoved two pretzel sticks under his top lip to mirror walrus teeth. “Pref-zel?”

Katara looked over and chuckled at his antics. “Sure, I’d love one.”

* * *

Toph Beifong was a rich kid.

They already could have guessed that after the cabin, but this was a _whole new level_. That point was made abundantly clear the instant her family’s house was in view.

It had started off with them driving through a decidedly upper-middle-class suburb, which then shifted to a gated community. The gate was unlocked first by Toph’s car only a few feet in front of them, and they were able to sneak the truck in behind without issue. The houses on the other side were larger and grander, with lush green lawns, and Aang was certain they were almost there. Yet they kept driving, following the black luxury sedan in front of them.

They finally arrived in front of a large estate. Not much of it was visible given the expansive fence around the property, but it was clearly a massive space. There was a grand iron gate marked with the crest of a golden flying boar. A security guard was posted in a booth built into the concrete fencing. Noticing the sedan, he bolted to his feet in recognition and waved them inside as the gate swung apart.

“Oh, wow …” Katara looked around in awe.

“Woah …” Aang gawked. “This place is massive.”

In front of them was a long, straight driveway that climaxed into a circle in front of a modern-day palace. Giant stone pillars framed the grand front door. There were so many shiny, gold accents that Aang was grateful the sun had started to set. Stone accoutrements and lush botanicals carefully adorned the grounds. It instilled an undeniable image of grandeur and, well, lots and lots of money. It was a far cry from the humble flat Aang and Gyatso had shared above Gyatso’s bakery.

“Katara …” Aang mumbled as the car came to a stop outside the front door. “I think Toph’s family might be rich.”

“ _Rich_ -rich,” Katara corrected, equally as stunned.

Everyone unboarded their vehicles as soon as the wheels came to a halt.

“My baby!” Sokka threw himself around the hood of his truck, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Here,” Katara handed her brother back the keys. “ _Your baby_ is perfectly fine.”

They didn’t even have time to stretch their stiff legs before the flurry of activity. A valet appeared out of nowhere, along with two butlers to handle their luggage. Aang, Sokka, and Katara all looked incredulously at the organized chaos, but Toph just rolled her shoulders back and began to walk inside.

“C’mon, dunderheads,” Toph yelled back at her frozen friends. Jolted by the sound, Sokka and Katara scrambled to catch up with her, while Aang followed behind -- Appa at his side and Momo tucked into his arm.

“Welcome home, Miss Beifong,” one of the staff greeted. He had a rather distinguished-looking mustache.

“Where are my mother and father, Li?” Toph asked.

“Your mother is overseeing dinner preparations, and your father is in his study,” Li answered. “Dinner will be at six sharp, but your mother requested you see her immediately upon arrival.”

“Great …” Toph sighed. “These are my friends: Aang, Katara, and Sokka. Will you show them to their rooms?”

“Of course, Miss Beifong,” Li bowed. He turned to face the rest of them, giving Appa and Momo a look of visual disdain. “Animals are not allowed inside the Beifong Estate.”

Aang shifted his body defensively over Appa and Momo as one of the young butlers approached, eying the giant dog timidly.

“I-I can take your animal companions to the garden, Master Aang,” the young butler offered. Aang glared back over at Li, but relented upon catching Katara’s encouraging look. The man was just trying to do his job, and Aang had no desire to get anyone into trouble with their boss.

“Fine,” Aang agreed, gently setting Momo in the arms of the butler by his side. “Please make sure they have plenty of space and fresh water. I already have food for them both in my duffel bag, wherever it ended up.”

“I will have one of the staff fetch it,” Li offered.

“That’s okay, I’ll do it myself later,” Aang firmly stated.

An uneasy silence fell over the grand foyer. “Very well, Master Aang,” Li surrendered. “Follow me.”

The house is even larger on the inside. They were all given individual rooms in the guest wing, to freshen up and dress for dinner. Toph had warned them they would need to dress up, so everyone had packed one nice outfit to use. Sokka and Aang both wore slacks and button-ups -- blue and grey respectively -- and Katara wore a flowy blue dress. Aang begrudgingly left his arrow cap in the room before meeting Katara in the hall.

“You look nice,” Aang smiled in greeting.

“So do you,” Katara said, reaching up to smooth out his short shirt collar. With her face so close, Aang noticed Katara had on more makeup than usual. It highlighted her features perfectly. Aang swallowed roughly, eyes fixated on the soft curves of Katara’s lips.

“Eh-hem,” Sokka coughed pointedly from behind Aang.

“You look nice too, Sokka,” Katara rolled her eyes at him, her hand still lingering on Aang’s chest.

Sokka opened his mouth as if to add something, but one of the Beifong staff members -- a woman this time -- rounded the corner and cut him off. “Excellent, you are all ready. Please, follow me to the dining room.”

The three exchanged unsure and resigned looks before following the woman. The dining room was just as grandiose as the rest of the house. Wood lined the walls seamlessly, and in the center of the room was a large granite table, with ornate plate settings along the periphery. There was a soup bowl set on a plate, a soup spoon, chopsticks sat in holders, a tea cup, drinking glasses, and a napkin. It was by far the most formal dinner Aang had ever had.

There were two men on the far side of the room engaged in conversation. One was wearing a beige suit and the other a black suit with a green tie.

“Ah, welcome!” the beige-suited man greeted. “I am Lao Beifong, Toph’s father.”

There was a chorus of ‘nice to meet you’s’ as they all took turns shaking his hand.

“This is Master Yu, my executive assistant,” Lao introduced the man in the black suit. “He was also Toph’s piano instructor when she was a child.” Aang and Katara exchanged an inquisitive glance. Toph played piano? 

Yu gave them all a curt smile and they exchanged pleasantries once more. By the time they finished, two women had joined them in the room. The older woman was in a fancy green gown with her hair intricately woven in some ornate up-do. The other woman was young and immediately familiar, but Aang had to do a double-take as this version of Toph Beifong was not one he even knew existed. This Toph -- as alien as the little green caricature -- was hidden under a long-sleeved mint-green dress, and her makeup-laden face clear of her signature bangs.

“This is my wife, Poppy,” Lao introduced once more. “Toph’s mother.”

“Shall we dine?” Poppy signaled for the evening to enter its next phase.

They sat around the table -- Lao at the head, Toph then Poppy then Yu to his right. Aang was seated to Lao’s left, with Katara next to him, and Sokka at the end. The staff brought steaming plates of delicious-looking food out fresh from the kitchens, setting it down in the center of the table.

Toph had explained the expectations of the meal to them all -- drape the napkin under the plate and over the table edge, don’t gesture with the chopsticks, eat a bit of each dish. Only discuss topics like art, music, literature, or academics, unless prompted otherwise. Don’t eat before the toast.

Lao opted for a brief and concise toast. “To our welcome guests. It's a pleasure to meet any friends of our daughter.” Everyone echoed the sentiment before sipping their beverage.

“You have a lovely home, Mr. and Mrs. Beifong,” Katara offered politely.

“Thank you,” Lao smiled. “I hope the family cabin was a suitable haven for you four these past few days? I’m sorry we only have a single night to meet, but my work demands a rather aggressive travel schedule.”

“The cabin was wonderful,” Aang answered. “And it’s a pleasure to be a guest in your home.”

“Toph mentioned you are vegetarian, Aang,” Poppy said. “I would advise you to avoid the Peking duck.” She gestured a delicate hand towards one of the dishes.

“Thank you,” Aang gave a polite smile.

“More for me then!” Sokka whispered under his breath, earning him an elbow to the ribs by Katara.

“So, you mentioned Toph took piano lessons?” Aang asked.

“Oh yes,” Lao smiled softly. “Unfortunately, because of her blindness, however, we had to keep her at the beginner level.”

“Because of her blindness?” Aang repeated in confusion. “But your daughter is incredible at everything she does.”

Toph’s head shot up aggressively toward Aang like a cobra.

“Well, I’m glad you think so,” Lao said with some odd mirth. “But my daughter is tiny and fragile. Things are more difficult for her. We have given her every resource so that she doesn’t need to _do_ anything herself.”

Aang’s tight grip on his chopsticks turned his knuckles white. He chomped a bit too hard on the rice in his mouth, his teeth clashing together painfully.

Toph said nothing.

The dinner conversation shifted from music to literature to art. Lao asked what they all study, taking particular interest in Aang the entire time. Toph still rarely spoke, instead taking small bite after small bite of her food. Her movements were elegant, graceful, and dainty -- she was the most unlike herself Aang had ever seen.

“So, Aang,” Lao said. “I hear you are quite the promising young athlete.”

Aang bowed his head politely. “Thank you, Mr. Beifong, but truly I’m just lucky to have such amazing teammates.”

“Do you expect to enter the professional soccer league soon?” Lao asked. “If so, I have a few contacts that may be of assistance.”

“Oh, that’s alright,” Aang declined politely. “I want to make sure I finish my degree first.”

“Very well,” Lao accepted. “It is wise of you to place your education first. Even if it’s in environmental studies.”

“Thank you,” Aang said, keeping all his ire out of his voice. “Plus, I really like college. There’s so much to do, I wouldn’t want to stop early.”

“Ah, so you engage in more than just soccer?” Lao asked.

“Yeah, actually, Toph’s been teaching me to wrestle!” Aang grinned over at his friend and mentor. “It’s not every day you get to learn from an Olympian.”

Toph kicked Aang’s shin under the table so hard he doubled over into his plate, but the damage was already done.

“Toph! You’re still wrestling?!” Lao looked absolutely scandalized.

Aang’s blood ran cold the instant he realized his mistake. Why hadn’t Toph mentioned _that_ during their debrief, of all things?!

“Rarely, father,” Toph lied. A dissonant vision of Toph -- the real Toph, covered in sweat (and a bit of blood) in the Fight Night ring of the frat house basement -- flashed through Aang's mind.

“That is unacceptable!” Lao yelled, banging a fist against the table. “We had an agreement after I caught you at the Olympics that this degenerate proclivity of yours would cease permanently. You are a young lady and you _will_ act like it!”

That was the snapping point. Toph darted to her feet, her bangs falling over her face. She thrusted an angry finger into her father’s face. “No.”

Lao rose to his feet as well, looking past Toph’s finger to address his dinner guests. “Forgive me, I need a moment alone with my wife and daughter.”

Yu left the room immediately. “Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Beifong.”

Aang, Katara, and Sokka exchanged a few concerned and nervous glances before doing the same. Unsure how this was to play out, they all planned to change and pack, in the likely event they were no longer welcome at the estate.

Aang’s throat felt thick as he left the room. “I’m sorry, Toph,” he offered. A piece of his heart throbbed coldly under his collarbone.

“I’m sorry, too, Aang,” Toph said softly. 

* * *

“I am your father and _you will do as I say_ ,” Lao spat.

“I’m an adult,” Toph stated. “You don’t get to say what I can and can’t do anymore!”

“I have been so foolish,” Lao ranted. “To accept the word of my renegade daughter. That ends now.”

“For years,” he continued. “You snuck around and lied to me. Wrestling and training during your so-called ‘extra piano lessons’.”

“You never gave me any freedom,” Toph explained. “I wouldn’t have had to lie if you didn’t give me a reason to!”

“That entire time you disrespected me,” Lao seethed. “And the apex? My daughter goes missing -- creating a mass panic -- only to be seen on TV, walking in the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, of all things.”

“It was the _Olympics_ ,” Toph protested. “I won a gold medal. I thought you’d be _proud_ of me!”

“You disrespected me on a global scale,” Lao said. “But I forgave you because you are my _daughter_. I thought we had moved past this. I thought you understood your place in this world--”

“--as what, some bird trapped in a cage?” Toph sneered. “Or worse, some asset for you to later marry off in some fucked-up business deal?”

“Toph!” Poppy admonished.

“Really, Mother?” Toph turned towards her direction. “The only thing you have to say during this conversation is about me saying ‘fuck’?”

“Do not disrespect your mother!” Lao yelled, stepping forward.

“Disrespect this, disrespect that,” Toph mocked. “What makes you think you even earned my respect in the first place?”

Both her parents gawked in uncomfortable silence.

“Enough,” Lao growled. “It is clear I have been far too lenient. You will not return to school; you will remain here under constant supervision until I figure out what to do with you.”

“You can’t keep me here!” Toph felt the sting of tears as they welled in her eyes.

“You have nowhere else to go,” Lao said. “You need me, Toph.”

“I don’t need you!” Toph yelled. “I can get by perfectly fine on my own.”

“No, you can’t,” Lao stated. “You are blind and helpless and vulnerable. You need me to take care of you -- you don’t know what’s best for you.”

“No, I’m not,” Toph said softly and slowly. “I am _not_ some obedient, fragile blind girl. I am and _always will be_ so much more than that. Goodbye.”

Lao and Poppy were left in stunned silence.

* * *

Toph found Aang out in the garden, feeding Appa and Momo. Her eyes were bloodshot and her voice thick.

“Toph!” Aang said, rushing over to her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Let’s get out of here,” Toph grumbled. “I want to get back to my _real_ home.”

Katara and Sokka met them out front on the circular driveway, the truck fully loaded and engine warmed.

“Let’s go,” Aang gave Sokka a grim nod as he helped Toph into the truck. She didn’t complain when Appa plopped his hundred-pound self on her lap; instead she just wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his fur.

None of them looked back.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will be slow but steady for a little while. This project is still active and I'm still loving sharing it with you all. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!


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